


Vanitas' return to Castle Oblivion

by The_Unlimited



Series: Vanitas' journey through light [5]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Add in of a new character, Gen, Now the character isn't as much of an asshole, OC Vanitas, Still don't know what the hell I'm doing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:15:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 72,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21902839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Unlimited/pseuds/The_Unlimited
Summary: After the mess with Ansem, Sora, Vanitas and friends go searching for Riku and King Mickey. Instead, they run into someone that Vanitas hopes will answer some of his questions. Unfortunately, the man just leads them to a place that Vanitas swears he's been before, but believes he shouldn't be there yet. Things only get more confusing when his friends start to lose their memories after a while. And when Sora starts claiming that there's another one of his friends being held captive here somewhere, one he never knew of before they entered this castle, that's when Vanitas knows something weird is going on
Relationships: Donald Duck & Goofy & Player Character & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Donald Duck & Goofy & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Sora & Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Vanitas' journey through light [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1246529
Comments: 31
Kudos: 43





	1. Hopeful Encounters and Familiar Places

**Author's Note:**

> My teacher once showed us an old Donald Duck cartoon, and in it he and his nephews had a turkey dinner. So, I'm starting to guess that the fact that their animals eating other animals didn't really matter at the time. So, I guess I'll just keep that going along. Also, I kind of forgot about Jiminy until I started typing out the actual fanfiction. Oops

"So, let's recap," Donald Duck said as he, Vanitas, Goofy, and Sora walked down the road.

They had been running down the road for a good, long while, even after they lost track of Pluto. They decided to stay on the road, sure that it would lead them to their friends, like Pluto had promised with his running. Eventually, their running had to slow down to a walk around the time the sun started to set. During the walk, Vanitas broke out the food supplies again, as they were starting to get hungry. Donald had a turkey sandwich, Vanitas had a slice of pizza, Sora had a cheeseburger slider, and Goofy had a taco.

"Okay," Vanitas said, waving his pizza slice as he talked. "That dude we fought at Hollow Bastion, he looks a lot like Xehanort for some reason, based off of the visions I've seen. And I guess he's in charge of some cult, 'cause he recruited that boy, Roxas, who looked a lot like my old friend. And during the last few days of Roxas' life, he's been taught how to do things in this cult with the help of some tall, redheaded motherfucker with reverse teardrop tattoos under his eyes."

"But why have you been seeing visions of this Roxas guy?" Sora asked in his recently changed voice. "When did they start?"

"Around the time you lost your heart," Vanitas said. "I think you and him might be connected in some way."

"The guy in the coat," Goofy said. "You say you think he's the leader of some kind of cult?"

"From what I saw," Vanitas said. "I mean, he sat in a chamber with twelve others wearing the same coat as they inducted a fourteenth member into the group. Sounds like a cult to me."

"If only these visions you had came with cliff notes," Donald remarked.

"It definitely would have been useful," Vanitas agreed. "Then I wouldn't have made the crackpot board when I was having visions of Sora before everything started back there."

"You saw visions of me?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," Vanitas admitted. "That's how I knew how to find the islands."

"You never saw too much, did you?" Sora asked, nervously.

"Relax," Vanitas said, taking a bite of his pizza. "I never saw _that_."

Donald and Goofy laughed at Sora's embarrassed face as the four of them continued to walk down the road.

* * *

Eventually, after it was well into the night, Sora suddenly sat up. He looked to the side to see Donald and Goofy sleeping peacefully, but Vanitas was just staring up at the night sky.

"You didn't sleep?" Sora asked.

"No life force," Vanitas reminded him. "I need to have a specific potion to let me sleep. And, I ran out of it before I made it to your island."

Vanitas looked at his younger friend.

"What about you?" he asked.

"I think something's up," Sora said, standing up.

Vanitas stood up and followed Sora back onto the road, where they walked to an intersection of the road with another road. They stopped in the middle and Sora stared up into the night sky.

"Along the road ahead lies something you need," an ornate voice behind the two announced.

They turned around in confusion, only to see no one there.

"What the hell?" Vanitas asked as they looked around in confusion.

"You can say that again," Sora remarked.

They realized something, then turned around once again. A tall man wearing a black coat stood down the road staring at them. Vanitas was able to tell that this man was different due to his build, and his voice was more regal than the deep, scratchy voice that the previous man had.

"However," he continued. "In order to claim it, you must lose something that is dear to you."

He floated down the road a bit before he disappeared completely. The two ran after him for a second fight before he had vanished. They stopped and stared down the road.

"Wait here," Vanitas said. "I'll get Donnie and Goof."

Vanitas woke the two up and quickly explained what was happening to them, before he put his sling back on his back. They then started down the road, and went along for a good, long while. Until eventually, the road stopped being a simple road in a field, to a dark road in the middle of the Realm Between.

"How did we get here?" Sora asked.

"Some roads," Donald said. "Always lead somewhere."

"Even if the place doesn't make sense," Vanitas added.

They walked down the road until they stopped, seeing something in front of them. In front of them was a large, intricate, yellow and green castle. The exterior was all over the place, made entirely random. Vanitas gasped at the sight of the castle.

"What is it?" Goofy asked, concerned.

"I've..." he said. "I've been here before... And I shouldn't be back yet..."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other, sympathetically. They felt bad for Vanitas, and were ready to turn around, but something stopped them.

"Huh?" Sora muttered, walking towards the castle.

"Huh?" Donald asked, turning towards the castle and following Sora.

"Guys!" Vanitas called to his friends, to no avail. "Guys, we should..."

He sighed out as his friends continued walking to the doors, and ran after them. Sora slowly pushed open the front door, and looked around. He pushed it open even more, and the other three followed him into the entrance hallway. They were in a large, ornate hallway complete with pillars, pedestals with flower designs on top, and details on the walls of various crests. Across from the entrance doors was a set of stairs that led onto an indoor porch, with a set of double doors that had an ornate outline. They walked forwards, looking around curiously.

"Hey," Goofy said as they stopped. "Ya think it's OK to barge in?"

"I think we'll be all right," Vanitas said. "'Cause... I think this place belongs to me."

"How did you end up owning a castle?" Donald asked.

"I don't remember," Vanitas said. "But I still know I shouldn't be back yet."

"But we gotta do it," Donald said. "If we're gonna find the king..."

Vanitas was surprised by the duck's claim, as was Goofy.

"The king!?" Goofy asked, looking around. "King Mickey's here?"

"Something just told me he'd be here," Donald said with his arms crossed. "OK?"

"Really?" Goofy asked. "'Cause now that ya mention it, I was kinda thinkin' the same thing."

Vanitas took in his friends' words, curious. How did they both have the same feeling about this?

"Seriously?" Sora asked. "Me, too! One look at this castle, and I just knew." He placed his hand over his heart. "Our very best friends: they're here."

"Guess great minds think alike," Goofy asked.

"I didn't have that feeling, though," Vanitas remarked.

"No like force, right?" Donald asked.

"I guess that makes sense," Vanitas said with his arms crossed, still sure something was wrong.

"Wait, hey, hold on!" Jiminy remarked, jumping onto Sora's shoulder from his hood.

"Dude, I legitimately forgot you were here," Vanitas remarked.

Jiminy ignored him.

"It can't be just a coincidence!" he announced, jumping up and down.

"Oh, no, Jiminy," Donald said. "You don't mean that..."

"Yep," he confirmed, gesturing with his arms. "I had it, too, mm-hmm! I had the exact same feeling."

"Garwsh," Goofy said, suddenly scared. "Maybe it's contagious."

"Or something imprinted the thought in your heads," Vanitas remarked.

"Either way," Donald said, ignoring how scared Vanitas' suggestion made him. "Something's screwy. We gotta go take a look."

"All right," Sora said.

Jiminy jumped back into Sora's jacket hood as he turned and started walking towards the double doors, surprising Donald.

"Wak!" he jumped up, garnering Sora's attention. "Where are you going!?"

"That way," Sora said, pointing at the door. "To the door." He laughed and looked at Donald cockily. "Are ya scared?"

"Aw, don't be ridiculous!" Donald exclaimed. "Come on, let's go, Goofy and V!"

He started to walk forwards.

"Uh, it's not too late to leave," Vanitas tried telling his friends.

"Hey, fellahs," Goofy said. "Shouldn't we shut the door behind us before we go?"

He turned to look at the door and jumped.

"Sora!" Goofy exclaimed.

Vanitas took out a revolver and pointed it at the doors. This was justified, as the door they came through was slowly closing, with the man in the black coat standing in front of them.

"That's it!" Sora exclaimed. "Who are you?"

He summoned his Keyblade and stood in a battle stance as the man walked forwards. Donald and Goofy took out their weapons at the same time.

"Wak!" Donald exclaimed, holding his staff. "Heartless! Oh, yeah? I'll try some magic."

He held up his staff and bellowed "THUNDER!"

Nothing happened. The other three looked at him curiously.

"Come on," Donald said, looking at the staff in worry. "THUNDER! THUNDER!!"

Nothing happened once again.

"Come on," he insisted waving his staff again. "Blizzard? FIRE!"

Once again, nothing happened. So, the others just got back into their battle stances as the man stopped walking, now a few feet away from them.

"Why isn't it working?" Donald asked.

"I should think it's obvious," the man said in his ornate voice. "The moment you set foot in this castle, you forgot every spell and every ability you ever knew."

At that, Sora and Goofy got out of their battle stances, and Vanitas lowered his revolver. They looked at each other in thought.

"In this place," the man continued. "To find is to lose, and to lose is to find. That is the way in Castle Oblivion."

"Castle Oblivion?" Sora asked.

Suddenly, the man was covered in darkness, which then caused him to disappear. Sora rubbed his eyes to confirm this was happening as the four of them watched in surprise. The whooshing sound the darkness had made originated behind them, and they turned to see him standing a few feet behind them.

"Here you will meet people that you have met in the past," the man told them. "And you will meet people you miss."

"I miss?" Sora asked.

Vanitas just simply shot the man with his revolver. Like the guy in Hollow Bastion, nothing happened.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed, understanding what the man was talking about. "You mean Riku's here!?"

"If what you want..." the man said. "Is to find him..."

He held up his hand, and a wind rushed out, with... flower petals? Sora and Vanitas grunted as they stood their ground against the wind. The man then suddenly rushed forwards, right through Sora, like the man from Hollow Bastion. But unlike on Hollow Bastion, Sora, managed to balance himself. He and Vanitas turned towards the man. Vanitas tried shooting him again, again to no avail. Sora lunged at the man and slashed at him, only for him to turn into flower petals. The four of them turned towards the double doors to see the darkness rushing on the porch, making the man appear once again.

The four of them rushed forwards and stood in front of the stairs in their battle stances again.

"What'd you do?" Sora asked.

"I merely sampled your memories," the man answered.

"That doesn't make any damn sense," Vanitas remarked.

The man just looked at Vanitas, which Vanitas could tell was a look of scorn, even though he couldn't see the man's face. The man then looked at Sora again.

"And from them, I made this," the man continued, holding up a blue card. "To reunite with those you hold dear..."

The man threw the card in a slashing way, which Sora caught. He studied the blue card, which had the image of Traverse Town on it.

"What's this?" Sora asked. "A card?"

"It is a promise for the reunion you seek," the man said. He gestured to the doors behind him. "Hold the card to open the door. And beyond it, a new world."

"Proceed, Sora," he said, garnering Sora's attention from the card. "To lose and claim anew, or... to claim anew only to lose."

The four exclaimed as darkness surged around the man once again, making him disappear. They looked at each other in thought, while Sora also studied the card.

"C'mon," Sora said, looking up at the doors. "Let's go."

"I don't suppose there's any way I can try to talk you guys out of this?" Vanitas asked.

"Who's the wuss now?" Donald asked, looking at Vanitas with a cocky smirk.

"I'm not afraid," Vanitas told Donald. "It's just... something feels off about this."

"Seems like everything we face feels off," Sora remarked. "But if our friends are here, we gotta find them."

Vanitas sighed out and followed his friends up the stairs. Sora held the Traverse Town card up to the door, and it disappeared in a flash of light. The doors opened, revealing bright lights within. The four walked inside, ready for whatever was waiting for them on the other side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What I plan on doing for this is two or three chapters for each floor. One for entering the floor, one for the storyline that happens on the floor, and one for exiting the floor, which will sometimes merge with them entering the next floor. And there is a simple way to explain the crappy fighting system that I'll go over next chapter


	2. 1st Floor: Traverse Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the 1st floor of the castle, the group finds themselves back in the same place their journey began

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest, I don't know myself whether or not I'll add Earth 616 in as a floor in Castle Oblivion. I don't know a way to do a mock version of what happens there here, but I am starting to get thoughts. But the real problem is, if I do decide on doing it, who I'm gonna have added in as allies. I mean, the team is big, and I think it might be hard to have six ally cards added in on that one world. Or I might just follow Vanitas' advice, say "fuck it" and go for it

Sora and Vanitas ran through the light in the door until it eventually faded. When they stopped running, they found themselves in a familiar looking yard with familiar buildings nearby, and lamp posts with patches of grass around them.

"This can't be right," Vanitas remarked as he and Sora looked around at their familiar surroundings.

"We're in Traverse Town!" Sora agreed, leaning forwards slightly.

"What you see isn't real," the ornate voice said from behind them.

Sora and Vanitas turned around to see the darkness rushing through the air once again, signifying the man's teleportation.

"This is gonna get annoying," Vanitas remarked, taking out his spear.

"'Gonna'?" Sora asked as they looked around in confusion.

"This town is an illusion created by your memories ingrained in that card," the man's voice called out from behind them, garnering their attentions.

"My memories?" Sora asked.

Jiminy then jumped off of Sora's shoulder and landed on the ground in front of the two. He jumped up and down to get their attentions.

"Sora, V, forget about that!" Jiminy yelled. "We lost Donald and Goofy!"

The two turned around and looked around curiously.

"Donnie? Goof?" Vanitas called out.

"Guys, where are you?" Sora called out.

The two of them turned towards the man, and Vanitas pointed his spear at him.

"What did you do with them!?" Sora exclaimed.

Vanitas' cold stare clearly meant he was wondering the same thing.

"They are at the mercy of the cards now," the man said. He looked at Vanitas. "Without your life force, the cards don't have as much of an effect on you."

"Well," Vanitas said, sarcastically. "Aren't I the luckiest son of a bitch ever?"

"Do not worry," the man said, which neither of them believed. "Master the cards, and their strength will be yours again.

Light flared, and suddenly, Sora and Vanitas were standing across from the man in an empty courtyard with their weapons in their hands, Sora standing in his battle stance. When Sora looked down at his Keyblade in his hands, he saw a see through purple case attached to his wrist, which definitely wasn't there before. In the case were various red cards with the Kingdom Key imprinted on them.

"What the fuck is that?" Vanitas asked, extremely curious.

Sora was too confused to offer up his thoughts. He just looked up, just in time to see a green card with Donald's face imprinted on it bouncing around between them and the man.

"The laws of this castle require that your friends be transformed into cards," the man told them. "If you value your friends, you won't fail to pick them up."

Sora walked forwards a bit, and when he got close enough, the card went into the case on his wrist.

"Cards you pick up are added to the top of your stack," the man explained. "Use them, and your friends will come to your aid."

"Okay...?" Sora said, sharing a confused look with Vanitas.

He held the Donald card in his hand and placed it to his chest, calling out Donald's name as light surrounded him. Donald suddenly appeared. He shot Blizzard at the man, then cast Cure on Sora, before disappearing in more light.

"This is gonna be weird," Vanitas remarked.

"Very weird," Sora agreed.

"The cards you use vanish," the man explained. "But they will reappear to aid you time and again. Cards are the hearts of your friends. Everything in this castle is ruled by cards. Whether an enemy or a door confronts you, cards are the only way to proceed."

"This place sucks," Sora told Vanitas.

"It wasn't like this before," Vanitas told him.

"But you mustn't forget your own strength," the man added. "Cards will empower you whether you are attacking or defending. But it is up to you to decide when to attack and when to defend. Do not forget that."

Sora managed to get in a few combo attacks on the man, where he discovered that every time he attacked, a card would disappear from his deck. And when his deck ran out, something would stop him from attacking. As in, he knew he could attack, but something was stopping him from doing so. So, he stood and let energy gather around him with his hand over his heart again, and once it was finished, his deck was refilled. He even learned about a second deck specifically designed for enemy cards so he could have certain status effects added to the fight.

After fighting with the man in the coat for a little while, they were suddenly back at the town entrance with the two lamp posts with the man standing across from them. They turned around to see Donald and Goofy running towards them, wearing the same outfits they were during their last adventure.

"Are you guys okay?" Vanitas asked.

"Where have you been?" Sora asked, a little relieved.

"You tell us!" Donald exclaimed. "When you opened the door, we went through the light at the same time... and the rest is just... blank."

Jiminy jumped up and down again to again get people's attention.

"Gee, that doesn't help," he commented. "Try to remember what happened. I have to keep my journal up to date."

"Hey, Donald," Goofy said, grabbing at his clothes, surprised. "Where'd I get the new clothes?"

"New?" Vanitas asked, curious.

"Wak!?" Donald exclaimed. "Me, too, Goofy!"

 _Why are they so surprised?_ Vanitas thought. _These are clothes they own, and they're acting like they've never seen them before._

"Somebody's been messing with our clothes!" Donald exclaimed.

 _Okay, that's true,_ Vanitas thought as he and Sora turned towards the man.

"Could it be the cards again?" Sora asked.

"That is for you to ponder," the man simply said. "Master the cards and make your way through the castle. But from here, the two of you walk alone."

"Alone!?" Goofy asked. "We can't let Sora and V go alone!"

"Yeah!" Donald agreed. "They can't do anything without our help!"

"Thanks a lot, Donald," Sora sarcastically said as the two of them turned towards the duck.

"You sure you'll be okay?" Goofy asked.

"Of course!" Sora told him.

"We'll kick some ass and take some names!" Vanitas assured the dog.

The two turned towards the man.

"You want us to go alone?" Sora asked. "Fine. We can take care of ourselves."

"And we'll take _your_ name, too," Vanitas added, intentionally as a joke.

"Hmph," the man said. "The heroes speak boldly. Go, then. The rest of Castle Oblivion awaits. Walk the avenues of latent memory, and you shall meet someone dear to you."

Darkness rushed around the man, and he disappeared.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Jiminy remarked.

"Relax, Jiminy," Sora told him as they turned to look at him.

"We're ready for any tricks this fucker's got up his sleeve," Vanitas boasted for him and Sora.

"I mean, how hard can it be to figure out these cards?" Sora asked, turning to look at a door in front of them in the courtyard. "All we have to do is use one in front of that door over there."

So they did. After Donald and Goofy vanished as part of the castle's laws, Sora and Vanitas went to the door and opened it with a room card, creating a new room. There, they found Heartless, and found out touching the Heartless flared the light from before which brought them into battle with multiple Heartless at a time. There, Sora learned that blue battle cards cast magic, and green battle cards used Items, which restored a certain kind of battle cards. Vanitas was able to do a bit more in the fight as he wasn't restricted by the use of cards.

The two of them eventually made it through enough doors to lead them into the Third District.

"Hmm," Sora said. "Fighting alone isn't as easy as I thought..."

"I'll try not to get offended," Vanitas commented.

"Sorry," Sora said. "I just got very used to also having Donald and Goofy."

The two of them paused and turned around, just as a flash of light flared, making the two in question appear.

"Aah!" Sora exclaimed as Donald looked around, curiously. "Don't pop out of nowhere like that!"

"Hey, it's not our fault!" Donald exclaimed as Vanitas laughed at Sora's expanse. "We don't know what's going on!"

"A-hyuck!?" Goofy exclaimed, looking past Sora.

The other three turned to see Pluto sitting and panting right behind Sora.

"Pluto!?" Sora exclaimed, leaning forwards a bit.

"How did he get here before us?" Vanitas asked, genuinely confused.

"Things keep getting stranger," Donald remarked. "What's Pluto doing here!?"

"There's nothing strange about that," Goofy said. "We came to Traverse Town with Pluto, didn't we?"

"Did we?" Donald asked.

"Well," Vanitas said. "He did wake me and Sora up when we got here."

Jiminy then jumped out from Sora's hood and stood between Sora and Vanitas, Donald, and Goofy.

"No, wait!" he exclaimed, garnering the group's attention. "According to my journal, it was before you met Sora that you came to town with Pluto!"

"Wak!" Donald realized. "He's right! We were chasing after Pluto, and that's how we ended up in Castle Oblivion!"

"But aren't we in Castle Oblivion?" Goofy asked.

"That we are," Vanitas remarked. "We definitely entered the Castle from the Realm Between, and went through the ornate foyer. But I think that light, it led us into this, very intricate illusion."

"Yeah, it's not really Traverse Town," Jiminy remarked, taking in all their thoughts. "The card created this Traverse Town inside Castle Oblivion!"

"Aaghh!" Sora exclaimed, annoyed, as he turned and faced his friends. "Who cares about all that? It's too confusing! I don't know where we are, but let's just keep moving forward defeating Heartless! We'll get somewhere!"

"You'd better be careful," a familiar voice called out from behind Sora. "Or it's the Heartless that are going to defeat you."

The four of them turned to see Leon walking towards them and stopping in front of Sora.

"Leon, it's you!" Sora said. "What are you doing in Castle Oblivion?"

Vanitas thought about that himself. After all, Leon _had_ stayed at back at Hollow Bastion with Yuffie, Aerith, and everyone else, trying to restore their childhood home. So he knew that there was no way they could be in this castle at the moment. He then realized something else. If the card was able to create this entire town and the Heartless through Sora's memories, then could it also create people?

"Castle Oblivion?" Leon asked. "What are you talking about? This is Traverse Town. And how do you know my name? Who are you?"

Leon's words surprised Sora.

 _The fuck?_ Vanitas thought. If these people really were created through Sora's memories, then shouldn't they remember him?

"I've never met the likes of you before," Leon remarked.

"Quit playing, Leon!" Sora exclaimed. "We all fought the Heartless together! You know that!"

"Look," Leon said. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know your names."

"You don't?" Goofy asked.

Leon turned around and crossed his arms.

"...Sorry," Leon eventually said.

"I can't believe it," Sora said. "How can you have forgotten about us?"

"I feel for you," Leon said, actually sounding it. "But you've got the wrong guy. Happens all the time. Don't take it so personally, Sora."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow at that. Donald and Goofy looked at each other, Donald surprise, and Goofy confused.

"You DO know his name!" Donald exclaimed.

Leon turned around, surprised himself.

"Now," he said. "Now hold on! Why do I know your name?"

Donald and Goofy looked at each other.

"Do you think Leon's just kidding around?" Goofy asked his friend.

"I doubt it," Vanitas. "I knew him a long time, and I know he isn't much of a joker."

"You're right about that, V," Leon said, before looking at Goofy. "Who's kidding around, Goofy? You and Donald are the ones who..."

"Hey!" Donald exclaimed as Leon put his hand to his forehead, confused.

"I don't get it," Leon said. "Something's wrong with my memory. What's happening here?"

"I don't fucking know, buddy," Vanitas lamented.

"I dunno, Leon," a new voice announced from behind Vanitas. "Maybe Aerith was onto something after all."

Yuffie walked up between Leon and Pluto, looking towards the taller man.

"She said she sensed some uncanny kind of power," Yuffie said. "And asked us to look into it. Well, this is as uncanny as it gets."

"You got that right," Vanitas agreed, looking Yuffie up and down. Why did it feel weird when they kissed at Hollow Bastion again?

"Yeah," Yuffie said, looking at Vanitas then back to Leon. "Maybe you should take Sora and V to see Aerith.

"Yuffie, you know our names!" Sora exclaimed happily.

"Yep!" Yuffie also exclaimed. "Looks like you know mine, too."

"You know them?" Leon asked Yuffie.

"Nope!" Yuffie answered, still happy. "Total strangers. But I definitely know their names. Strange, yes, but convenient! We can skip the introductions."

Vanitas laughed while Leon placed his hand to his forehead, annoyed.

"How is it that you can accept this situation so easily?" Leon asked. "I don't get you..."

"Well," Yuffie said. "I'm gonna run ahead and fill Aerith in. Leon, you give them the grand tour. See you later!"

She walked away with Pluto, and Leon stared after her, annoyed.

"I guess it's no use pondering over it," Leon relented to the four. "Come on, follow me."

They followed Leon to the apartment building that served as their base of operations to find Yuffie waiting with Aerith.

"Aerith," Sora started. "Have you forgotten me, too?"

"I don't know whether to say 'nice to meet you' or 'good to see you again,'" Aerith admitted. "I don't think I know you, but I feel like you belong here."

"Yeah, exactly!" Yuffie exclaimed. "Like we've never met, but it still doesn't feel weird knowing your name."

"Like a combination of amnesia and deja vu," Vanitas commented, remembering his own situation.

"Yeah!" Yuffie agreed, pointing at him.

"But I'm telling you," Sora said. "We _have_ met. We took on the Heartless together. We were a team!"

"It feels like you're right," Leon admitted. "But I can't remember."

This sort of helped Vanitas' theory. If these people really were illusions of the people that they knew, then it would made sense that they only had the memories from before they met Sora. From the looks of it, though, his friends weren't exactly that understanding of this situation yet.

"Then I guess you won't remember what you told me," Sora continued. "In Hollow Bastion, when I sealed the Keyhole: 'We may never meet again...'"

"...but we'll never forget each other," Leon finished for him.

"See," Sora exclaimed, leaning forwards a bit. "You do remember!"

"He's right, Leon!" Yuffie exclaimed, looking towards the tall brunette. "I remember you saying that, too."

 _That doesn't make any damn sense,_ Vanitas thought. _If their memories are limited to before they met Sora, then how do they remember this?_

"I guess I can't write it off as a coincidence, then," Leon admitted, crossing his arms.

"I don't have any memory of it," Aerith admitted. "But somehow I still remember it. I think your heart is doing the remembering for us."

"My... heart?" Sora asked, confused.

"That... doesn't make any damn sense, either," Vanitas whispered to Goofy, who nodded in agreement.

"We don't remember you, Sora," Aerith continued. "But your heart is full of memories of us together. Those memories must resonate in our hearts, too. Maybe they tell us things we couldn't otherwise know."

"So you're saying Sora's memories are affecting ours?" Leon asked.

"Seems like the only viable explanation," Vanitas admitted.

"His memories do seem to have a certain power," Aerith agreed.

"Maybe it's like that guy said, then," Sora said. "This town is just an illusion. Something my memories created."

Vanitas nodded his head, thankful his friend managed to get halfway there by himself. Sora really was smarter than Vanitas gave him credit for.

"And," Aerith said. "There's someone special to you in this town?"

"How did you..." Sora started before he realized it. "Ah, I get it. My memories are resonating with yours, telling you what happened." She turned to face him as he continued. "A friend of mine is in this town... I mean, Castle Oblivion."

"Castle Oblivion?" Yuffie asked, confused. "What's that? There aren't any castles in here."

"Long story," Vanitas told her. "It'd take too long to explain."

"You're still not sure what's going on yourself," Aerith said to Sora. "Right?"

"Right," Sora agreed. "We just got here, after all. I want to take a better look around."

"Then go have a walk around town," Leon told him. "There are Heartless, but that's no problem for you."

"So you know I can fight?" Sora asked as he cockily put his hands on the back of his head.

"I can't say I know," Leon said. "But I feel like believing you. Let's leave it at that."

They left the apartment, and started going through town. During this, Sora learned that defeating enough Heartless gave him enough energy to add more cards to his deck for fights, and taught him new tricks for when he gathered three specific ones together. They eventually reached the Second District, where they ran across the main center towards Cid, who was facing away from them. At the sound of their feet on the ground, Cid turned around to see the four who just stopped in front of him.

"Well, whaddaya know?" Cid asked. "It's Sora and V!"

Cid stopped and scratched the side of his head.

"Wait, what am I saying?" he asked. "I don't know you. But you do _look_ like a Sora and a V. What with the spiky hair, baggy pants, and motorcycle jacket..."

"It's okay, Cid," Sora said. "That's my name."

"So!" Cid exclaimed. "You've heard of me, eh?" He turned to the side and scratched the side of his face. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised."

"Anyway," Sora said. "Maybe you can help me out. A friend of mine's supposed to be somewhere in this castle- er, town. Got any ideas?"

"Your friend, huh?" Cid asked, looking towards Sora again. "Lately all this town sees is Heartless. Can't even take two steps without gettin' attacked. In fact, this plaza's the worst." He gestured to the bell on top of the gizmo shop. "Word is, a jumbo sized Heartless shows up when that bell rings. If you value your hide, you'll get outta here while the gettin's good."

The blonde mechanic turned and walked away.

"Gawrsh," Goofy said. "Maybe we should leave."

Sora turned towards his friends.

"Don't you wanna see the Heartless?" he asked.

" _No,_ we _don't_!" Donald exclaimed.

"Why are you acting like a kid at a zoo, and the Heartless is an elaborate animal?" Vanitas asked, confused.

All of a sudden, the bell on top of the gizmo shop started ringing, and the four of them jumped and looked around.

"The bell!" Donald exclaimed.

"Sora, V, be careful!" Goofy exclaimed.

The four took out their weapons, with Vanitas taking out his sledgehammer, and stood in their battle stances. They stood in a circle that let them see in all directions, ready for the Heartless. Then, the five pieces of the Guard Armor Heartless smacked into the ground in front of Sora before they floated into the air. The arms and legs floated into place on the torso before they landed on their feet on the ground. The head fell into place on the torso, and the four faced the boss. Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas were now facing the Guard Armor by themselves.

Sora ran forward and used a combo attack on the feet, breaking the boss' attack, twice. Vanitas attacked the feet with his hammer, and then he and Sora dodged when the boss spun its hands in an attack. Sora then used three cards to attack with Sliding Dash, which he used to knock it back. Vanitas added to the attack by knocking aside one of the hands like his hammer was a golf club, and the hand was a golf ball, while Sora gathered energy once again to restore his cards.

Sora repeated this manner of attacking with two combos before using Sliding Dash to knock back the Heartless again, during which he managed to collect a green card with an emblem that was shaped like Mickey's head, and a Goofy card. While Sora collected a Donald card, Vanitas swung his sledgehammer at the hands once again, right before the feet detached from the torso and started stomping towards him and his friend.

Unfortunately, the boss' attacks managed to break through Sora's moves, cancelling some of his cards. He and Vanitas were forced to run from the Heartless' attacks. Once they were safe, Sora and Vanitas continued their attacks, which led to both of the hands and one of the feet getting destroyed. This led to the Heartless getting relentless and just leaping at the two as it slammed itself into the ground. Vanitas grunted as he raised his sledgehammer and brought it down hard on the foot, destroying it.

Luckily Sora had just refilled his deck. He and Vanitas attacked the floating torso for a bit, before Sora got an idea and used the Mickey emblem card. The torso was covered in electricity, and fell to the ground. Sora continued the idea and got Vanitas' attention. He used a Goofy card, a Donald card, and an attack card, causing the two in question to show up. Sora, Vanitas, and Donald took Goofy in their arms, and charged at the Heartless, using him as a battering ram. Vanitas only questioned how effective this would be for a second before they used it to finish off the Guard Armor.

The torso and head were then in the air again, shaking around. The head then fell to the ground, and light flared from the neck hole, expelling a crystal like heart. The head and torso disappeared in a flash of wind and light, and a grey card with the Guard Armor on it floated down into Sora's hand. He simply put it in his pocket.

Leon and the others gathered with the four in the Second District once the craziness was over.

"So your friend wasn't here?" Yuffie asked Sora.

"No," Sora admitted. "I don't think I'll find him in this town. But he's somewhere in this castle, I just know it."

"Castle?" Cid asked. "Like this whole town's inside some humongous castle? Hoo, that's rich!"

"You have no idea," Vanitas muttered.

"He's probably right, Cid," Leon told the mechanic. "We may not understand what's going on, but Sora and V do. They can see that reality is bigger than just this world."

"I wish I was that sure," Sora said.

"You'll be okay, Sora," Leon told him. "No matter what shape reality takes, you can handle it. I may not remember you, but I know you in my heart. And if you can't, with V by your side, you'll be all right."

"Yeah," Vanitas said, patting his younger friend on the shoulder.

Sora smiled at Vanitas before looking at Leon again.

"Leon..." Sora said.

"Take care, Sora," Yuffie said.

Cid scratched the back of his head.

"I'm a little lost," he admitted. "But best of luck anyway."

The four of them turned and walked down the road towards the First District. Sora and Vanitas stared after them as Donald and Goofy turned and walked down the road towards the Third District. Sora and Vanitas started to follow them, but were stopped when they realized Aerith was now behind them once again. They stopped and turned towards the taller brunette.

"What's up?" Sora asked.

"I don't have all the answers," Aerith admitted. "But I had to tell you something. Your memories created this town, right?"

"That's what the guy who gave me the card said," Sora told her.

"If that's true," Aerith said. "Then this town is just a figment of your mind... and so are we."

Vanitas sighed out, mentally wondering why his theories that turned out to be true were never about good things.

"But," Sora said. "You can't be a figment! You're standing right here. The town is here, too!"

"But I'm not really me," Aerith told him. "I don't remember the things I should. And I sense things I shouldn't."

"She's right," Vanitas remarked. "The card made them the people from your memories into illusions here. And since we were meeting them here, the first time for them, the illusions had the memories the actual people had when we first met them."

Aerith nodded in agreement at Vanitas' words before looking at Sora again.

"Sora, beware your memories," she told him. "In the journey to come, you'll be faced with more illusions. Sometimes the shadows of your memory will deceive you, try to lead you astray."

"So, uh," Sora said, confused, as he crossed his arms. "What exactly does that mean?"

"I'm sorry," Aerith told him. "I'm just an illusion. The truth is out of my reach."

"Don't say stuff like that," Sora insisted. "It's depressing."

"Welcome to my world," Vanitas commented.

"Stay strong, Sora," Aerith told Sora. "Don't let the illusions distract you from what's truly important."

"...Okay," Sora eventually relented.

"Sora! V!" Donald's voice called from down the road.

The two turned to see their other two friends.

"Are you ready to go?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Vanitas called out.

"Be right there," Sora also called. He turned towards where Aerith was. "Well, we'd better get going."

It was then that he saw that Aerith was gone.

"Aerith?" Sora asked, confused, as he looked around. "Aerith!"

"What about Aerith?" Donald asked.

"Where did she go?" Sora asked. "We were just talking to her!"

He looked at his slightly taller friend, who was looking at him intently.

"Remember," Vanitas told him. "Illusions."

Sora's eyes widened at that.

"Aerith left with Leon and the others, remember?" Goofy asked.

"Huh!?" he asked, turning towards the talking animals.

"You guys worried us," Donald said. "Just standing there talking to the air.

"This is what she meant?" Sora whispered to Vanitas.

Vanitas nodded his head, and they turned back towards Donald and Goofy. The four walked towards the Third District together, ready to find the man in the black coat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates lately, but I've sort of gotten disinterested from updating with the holidays going on. But I'm back now, and adding more. Also, does anyone else think the Heartless boss battle theme in this game is awesome?


	3. Got it Memorized?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four exit Traverse Town, and face off against a new foe, then move on to the next floor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really happy I get to finally start including Axel. He's definitely one of my favorite characters in the series, for a number of reasons

Another ornate door in another white Castle Oblivion hallway opened up, expelling large amounts of light. All four of the members of the group, Sora, Vanitas, Donald, and Goofy, ran into the hallway. They stopped and stared down the man in the black coat across from them as the doors closed behind them. The four of them got into fighting stances.

"Well, Sora?" the man asked. "Did you enjoy meeting your memories?"

"Yeah, it was good to see everyone," Sora admitted. "But what do you really want from me?"

"What do you have to give?" the man asked, gesturing with his hands.

He started walking towards them, and the four summoned their weapons, and Vanitas pulled out his machete. All of a sudden, darkness surged behind the man. Vanitas' eyes widened when the redheaded man from his visions appeared when the darkness was done surging.

"Hello!" the redhead exclaimed happily.

Sora grunted at the sight of the new man in a black coat, and Donald and Goofy were also surprised to see the man Vanitas described from his vision, right down to the reverse teardrop tattoos.

"What do you want?" the hooded man asked, nonchalantly.

"No hogging the hero," the redhead said with a smile on his face.

The hooded man threw a card at the redheaded man, once again in a slashing motion. The redheaded man caught it, and regarded it while smiling at the hooded man.

"Then perhaps you'd like to test them," the hooded man said.

"Perhaps I would," the redhead said as darkness surrounded the hooded man, making him disappear as the darkness disappeared.

"My show now, Keyblade master," the redhead told Sora and the others. "Who am I? Oh, my name's Axel. Got it memorized?" He placed his forefinger to his temple to emphasize his point.

"Uh... sure," Sora said, uncertainly.

"Good, you're a quick learner," Axel said, with a slight smile still on his face. "So Sora, now that we're getting to know each other better..."

Axel shook as he looked up and raised his arms. He looked down and held his arms straight out, at which circular bits of fire appeared around his hands, with black thorns. The fire and the thorns disappeared after a few seconds, and were replaced by large chakrams. The four in the group exclaimed in surprise, then stood back in their battle stances. Axel looked up at them with a smile on his face once again.

"Don't you go off and die on me now," Axel told them.

Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas were standing on a circular platform standing across from Axel, each of them still in their battle stances.

Sora started out by using Sliding Dash to attack, then following up with two combos, but Axel interrupted with his own attack with a 0 card. Axel went to attack Sora, but Vanitas intercepted it with his machete.

"Damn, that card system doesn't make any sense," Vanitas remarked.

"You have no idea," Axel admitted, as it affected him, too.

Vanitas backflipped away from Axel's attack, and Sora used another combo attack. After all, it was a 0 card. Sora then ran to get a Donald card, and had to duck as Axel had thrown a fire covered chakram towards him. Axel then teleported to the other side of the area, catching the chakram.

Axel then used the three cards he had gathered together to do a strong attack. He teleported to the center of the area, and started to do the attack, but Sora stopped him with his own 0 card. Vanitas then lunged towards Axel and kicked him in the back, before backflipping once again and landing on his feet. He slashed his machete at Axel's head, but the taller man ducked the slash. He then hit Vanitas in the face with the flat of his chakram, which didn't faze Vanitas much. Angry, Vanitas punched Axel in the chest with his free hand, knocking him across the area as his super strength flared.

Sora restacked then did two more combo attacks before he moved to the side, as Axel had thrown his chakram towards him again. Vanitas slashed at Axel's back with his machete, but the tall man had teleported away to catch his chakram. He then moved to the center of the area once again, once again gathering three cards for a big attack. Which Sora once again stopped with his 0 card. Which Axel then countered with an attack card.

Axel then threw his chakram again, once again teleporting to catch his weapon. He did this once again, and Sora used another combo attack. Vanitas punched Axel in the chest, then slashed him in the torso with his machete. Axel once again moved to the center to try to do his big attack, and once again Sora ran towards Axel and stopped him with higher worth cards. This time, though, he stopped Axel by using Stun Impact, which both stopped Axel's attack, and stunned him.

Sora picked up a Goofy card, and dodged another attack from Axel. Vanitas kicked Axel in the chest, then slashed him with his machete once again, and Sora tried casting Blizzaga at the redhead to finish the fight. Unfortunately, Axel teleported away, dodging the attack. Luckily, before Axel could do another attack, Sora used a Potion card to restore his attack cards. He then took another Donald, Goofy, and attack card, starting the special attack. Donald and Goofy appeared, and Sora, Vanitas, and Donald once again picked up Goofy. They charged Axel and finished off the fight with the attack.

With that fight over, Sora was given a magic card for Fire, which he put in his pocket.

Light flashed again, and the four were standing in the white hallway once again. They looked up to see a set of world cards floating in the air covered in light. Sora took the cards and the light faded. The four of them studied the cards gathered in his hand.

"More?" Goofy asked. "What do they do?"

"Hmm," Jiminy said, standing on Sora's shoulder. "Kinda looks like the one you used, when you made Traverse Town."

"Then I guess we're gonna need it to keep going..." Sora said.

"Then I guess we're really not gonna turn around," Vanitas muttered.

"That's right," Axel's voice called out.

The four of them looked up to see Axel standing next to the staircase, leaning against the wall.

"Axel!" Donald exclaimed.

Axel stopped leaning against the wall and started walking towards the four, who were standing back in their battle stances.

"Did you really think after that introduction," Axel said, stopping. "I would give up oh so easily?"

"You were testing us," Sora remarked.

"And you passed," Axel said. "Congratulations, Sora and V! You're ready now... ready to take on Castle Oblivion."

Sora raised an eyebrow at the man's words.

"You will need to follow your memories," Axel continued, gesturing with his arm. "Trust what you remember and seek what you forget. Then you will find someone very special."

"You mean King Mickey and Riku?" Goofy asked.

Axel chuckled.

"You will just have to give some more thought to who it is that's... most important to you," he continued. "Our most precious memories lie so deep within our hearts that they're out of reach. But I'm sure that you can find yours, Sora."

"Why me?" Sora asked.

"And why couldn't this work for me?" Vanitas asked.

"Sorry," Axel told him, genuinely sounding sorry. "Without your life force, nothing can be done for you."

"Fuck," Vanitas said, looking down, sadly.

"But as for you, Sora," Axel said. "You have lost sight of the light within the darkness. And it seems that you've forgotten that you forgot."

"The light within darkness..." Sora said, uncertainly, as he got out of his battle stance.

Axel raised his hand and asked, "Would you like me to give you a hint?"

Sora looked down in consideration while his friends looked at him.

"Sora," Goofy said. "Do you need it?"

Sora stayed silent as he looked up at Axel.

"I'm gonna figure it out for myself," Sora said, placing his free hand over his heart. He then stood in his battle stance. "And if you're in my way..."

"Don't worry, Sora!" Donald exclaimed, standing in front of the brunette. "We'll protect you!"

Axel just chuckled at that.

"Good answer," he said, before he pointed at Sora. "Just what I'd expect from the Keyblade master."

Vanitas smiled at the redhead as his friends got back in their battle stances.

"But be forewarned..." Axel said. "When you're sleeping memories awaken, you may no longer be who you are now."

Darkness surrounded Axel, and he disappeared when it disappeared.

"I like him," Vanitas smiled at his friends, who looked at him like he was crazy.

As the four of them walked up the stairs to the next floor, Vanitas grabbed his head in pain as he saw another vision. Roxas had walked into a lounge like area towards three people in similar cloaks, confirming to Vanitas that this was some kind of cult. The hooded one, he knew was named Xion based off of his previous visions. The dude with the weird faux hawk was named Demyx, and was sitting at a chair. Across from him sat Vanitas' old associate, Braig, with a grey streak in his ponytail. But Vanitas' previous visions told him that Braig's new name was Xigbar. This helped him figure out that these people in the cults' names were anagrams of other people's names with the letter X added. After all, he was able to see that clearly with Roxas, but seeing his old friend helped it. The four of them talked a bit, minus Xion, before they were interrupted by a dude with long blue hair and a scar on his face.

Vanitas gasped as the pain stopped and his vision ended.

"You all right?" Sora asked as they walked up the stairs.

"I really want back control of my powers," Vanitas remarked, which was all they needed to hear.

The four of them walked up the stairs and into a new entrance hallway that was pretty much an exact copy of the one from the first floor.

"Hmm..." Jiminy muttered as he sat on Sora's hood.

Sora stopped and looked over his shoulder at the well dressed cricket.

"What's wrong, Jiminy?" he asked.

Jiminy climbed onto Sora's shoulder again.

"Well, ya see," he said. "What Axel said back there worries me. What could he have meant by, 'You may no longer be who you are'?"

"I may no longer be me?" Sora asked. "How can I be anyone else?"

"You'd be surprised," Vanitas said. "I mean, remember how much of a dick I was when we first met? I went through some pretty big trauma to cause it. And who knows what the hell they have planned for us?"

"Yeah," Jiminy agreed. "You can't be too careful."

"Yep," Goofy nodded his head as he and Donald looked around, curiously. "Just about anything could happen here in Castle..."

"Oblivi..." Goofy started saying, tripping over himself. "Oblivi... Obliv..."

"Castle Oblivion!" Donald helped him.

"Oh, yeah!" Goofy exclaimed. "Now I remember!"

"We'll be okay," Sora smiled at his friends. "Whatever it is they're cooking up, we'll be able to handle it together."

"'Course we will," Goofy said. "Like at that creepy castle we explored together, the one with all those weird contraptions."

"Yeah, I'll be the first to admit," Vanitas laughed. "They were pretty fucking weird."

Sora crossed his arms and sighed out in thought.

"When was that?" he asked, confused.

Vanitas raised an eyebrow at his friend as Donald also crossed his arms.

"Uhh..." the duck softly said. "I can't remember."

"Come on, guys," Vanitas said to his friends. "It was where we met Beast and went through all that trouble with Maleficent and the princesses."

They looked confused at those words, too, which surprised Vanitas even further.

"What was it called?" Donald asked.

"Gawrsh," Goofy said, scratching his head in thought. "Oh, it was, uh... Holla... Holly! Holler... Sorry, I can't remember."

"Wak!" Donald exclaimed. "Stop goofing around."

"Goofy," Sora said. "Sure you didn't make it up?"

"I don't think so..." Goofy said.

"Guys, it was Hollow Bastion," Vanitas said, genuinely surprised by his friends' amnesia. "It's Leon and the gangs' home world, and where I was an apprentice to Ansem."

The three took in Vanitas' words, trying to find some familiarity in them, to no avail.

"What the fuck?" Vanitas asked.

For once his friends looked like they agreed with his profanity.

Vanitas then clutched his head in pain. This time, he could see Riku. He was floating in a grey sky, but was woken up when a blue world card appeared in front of him. He took the card with a cocky smile and was transported to a room that looked just like an entrance hallway, but had a bare wall where the staircase down should have been, signifying that the silver haired teen was in a lower portion of the castle. "A door to the truth, huh..." he uttered before the vision ended.

Vanitas gasped as the pain went away. Riku might not have been in the castle before, but he was definitely somewhere inside now.

"Let's just..." Vanitas started. "Keep moving."

The four of them walked up to the ornate double doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I mentioned in the previous chapter, I am considering having an Earth 616 world in Castle Oblivion, but I haven't decided completely yet. If you guys want to see it, let me know, and give me an idea if you think of one. Also, remember, Vanitas' powers are still a little wonky due to him not having his life force. It won't be until he gets it back that he also gets back control. So until then, you'll have to get used to him getting random bursts with his powers here and there. But the random visions will continue on. I mean, whenever people have visions in any kind of media, how often are they voluntary?


	4. 2nd Floor: Wonderland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang goes through a new rendition of a weird place

Sora used the Wonderland world card next, and the four of them walked through the light into the weird, out of control forest of the world. As they walked, they looked around curiously, until Goofy stopped and looked behind, where they had just come from.

"Hey, somebody's comin'," he announced.

The others stopped and turned to see a familiar (to Vanitas) white rabbit dressed well and carrying a big stop watch run past and stop in front of them. Donald jumped slightly as the rabbit checked the watch.

"I'm late! I'm late!" the rabbit exclaimed, fearful. "I'm dreadfully, awfully late! The queen will roast me for dinner! If I'm late for the trial, it'll be off with _my_ head next!"

"What do you mean 'off with your head'!?" Sora exclaimed, fearful for the small rabbit.

"I think it's kind of self-explanatory," Vanitas commented.

"Oh my fur and whiskers!" the rabbit exclaimed without answering Sora's question. "I'll never make it!"

He continued running down the path in the forest, while the others stayed behind, curious about his words.

"Off with his _head_?" Sora asked.

"For such a peaceful looking place, it sounds pretty dangerous!" Donald remarked.

"We'd better go in case someone needs help," Vanitas suggested, remembering that that was exactly what they did last time.

"Yeah," Sora agreed, looking towards his friends. "Let's go."

Like back on Traverse Town, Sora and Vanitas had to traverse through rooms made with specific designs based off of the room cards they used on the doors. And like on Traverse Town, touching a Heartless flashed a big light that transported them into a fight with multiple Heartless, with occasional help from Donald and Goofy whenever Sora picked up their respective cards.

They made it out of the forest and past some hedge like corridors into a courtyard where a queen sat at a throne, a small blonde girl stood at a podium, and living card soldiers stood at attention. The soldiers moved out of the way as the White Rabbit ran into the courtyard, slowly followed by Sora and the others, who stopped at the archway and watched as he ran up a bunch of stairs.

"Gawrsh," Goofy said. "This looks like some kind of get-together. What's the occasion?"

"You might not like how this goes," Vanitas commented, remembering how things were last time.

"Hey," Donald realized. "This must be the trial the White Rabbit was talking about!"

The White Rabbit blared a trumpet loudly.

"Alice!" he called out. "Do you understand the charges against you?"

"Of course not!" the blonde girl exclaimed. "I've done nothing wrong!"

"Some things never change," Vanitas muttered.

"Feigning ignorance, dear?" the Queen of Hearts asked, gesturing with her staff. "You are charged with aiding the creatures called Heartless who threaten my kingdom!"

"Fiddlesticks!" Alice declared. "Where's the evidence?"

"The evidence is... I forgot!" the Queen yelled, slamming her hands on her hand rest. "That's the evidence! Because you, Alice, are the one who stole my memory!"

"Once a bitch, always a bitch," Vanitas commented, making his friends curious.

"We can't rid the kingdom of Heartless until we get Her Majesty's memory back," the White Rabbit announced. "This is a serious crime!"

"This is so unfair!" Alice remarked. "So what if you're a queen! Don't blame me just because you can't remember things!"

"Such insolence!" the Queen of Hearts angrily announced. "You're talking to the Queen of Hearts! And to think I might have let you go, had you apologized straightaway! What a brazen thief!"

"Who's the brazen one?" Sora angrily asked, gesturing with his arm.

"Yeah, bitch!" Vanitas exclaimed.

"Uh, Sora? V?" Goofy asked as the two ran forwards.

"The court has reached a verdict!" the Queen exclaimed, pointing at Alice with her staff. "OFF WITH HER HEAD!"

"Hold it!" Sora exclaimed as he stopped right at the steps of Alice's podium, drawing the attention of half the people there. "This trial is a farce! You should investigate before you arrest innocent people!"

"It's this fucked up system of corruption that's ruining the whole damn country!" Vanitas exclaimed, indignantly.

"What?" Sora asked, confused.

"I don't know," Vanitas admitted. "I think I saw it in a movie."

"What is the meaning of this?" the Queen asked, offended. "How dare you suggest Alice didn't steal my memory. I suppose you know who the real culprit is, then!"

"Huh?" Sora asked, crossing his arms. "I, er..."

"Speak!" the Queen announced. "Or it's off with all of your heads! Now, out with it! Who's the thief?"

"Play dumb," Vanitas whispered to Sora.

Sora continued to think for a second.

"I'm the thief!" Sora then yelled.

"Not that dumb!" Vanitas exclaimed, loudly.

"Say that again?" the Queen asked, as she and Alice looked at the boy, shocked.

"Gawrsh, really?" Goofy asked as even he and Donald were shocked.

"Of course not!" Sora told his friends.

"He's just an idiot!" Vanitas exclaimed, slapping Sora in the back of the head.

"You're not wrong," Donald agreed, looking at Sora angrily.

"Cards!" the Queen exclaimed. "Seize them all!"

The cards lunged at the four, and light flared. Sora and Vanitas stood together, ready to face off against a bunch of Club card soldiers. Vanitas pulled out an SPAS-12 shotgun in semi-automatic mode and pointed it at a card soldier. He fired it twice at the soldier while Sora used Sliding Dash to knock back two. Sora then used a combo attack on one of them/ He used a couple of more combos to finish off two, while Vanitas used one last blast to finish off the third Club soldier.

Heart card soldiers then appeared, and Sora blasted one with fire. Vanitas used his shotgun as a club to hit one soldier before he then blasted it with the gun. Sora then used Blizzaga to finish off both the cards before throwing up a Potion, restoring his attack cards. Two more Heart soldiers popped out with another Club soldier. Vanitas kicked a Heart soldier before Sora finished it off with a couple of combos. He then combined two Goofy cards to make Goofy appear and start spinning around to attack with his shield, finishing off the two remaining card soldiers.

A Card Soldier enemy card was then presented to Sora, which he put away in his pocket.

Light flared, and once again the four stood in front of the heart shaped hedge arch.

"Whew..." Sora sighed out, looking to the left.

"Wak!" Donald exclaimed, looking around. "Where's Alice?"

"This again?" Vanitas asked, also looking around.

"She must have escaped," Goofy suggested.

"Perhaps she did," the Queen agreed, pointing at them with her staff. "But _you_ won't!"

The cards turned towards them with their weapons, and the four stood ready to fight.

"I think we've been trumped!" Donald exclaimed.

"Run!" Sora exclaimed.

Vanitas helped by shooting at the ground in front of the living cards with his shotgun before they turned and ran back the way they came, followed by the cards.

As they ran through the rooms and fought Heartless, Vanitas clutched his head as he saw more visions. Riku was fighting his way through a copy of Hollow Bastion similar to what they were going through, occasionally being taunted by the voice that gave him the card. He took out Heartless at the same time as Vanitas and Sora. The visions ended as the group managed to find Alice.

As the group reached her, she turned to face them, and Jiminy jumped out of Sora's hood and onto the ground.

"Things got a little crazy there," Sora admitted. "But at least you're okay."

"I don't mean to be ungrateful," Alice admitted. "But... was that true, what you said? Are you the thief?"

"What?" Sora asked. "Of course not! Why would I steal the queen's memory?"

"Well, she's a bitch," Vanitas commented, shrugging his shoulders.

"True," Sora admitted, as the others shrugged their shoulders in agreement. "But I didn't."

"Yep," Goofy said. "Sora only said that 'cause he wanted to save-"

"To show off!" Donald exclaimed, angrily.

Sora closed his eyes and looked upwards with his arms crossed.

"Is that right?" Alice asked. "Well, you saved me all the same. Thank you."

A purple, smiling cat's head suddenly appeared over a giant mushroom nearby. They turned to see the cat's body appear over the head. The cat then caught his head and placed it back where it should be. He then posed in front of the group.

"It's the Cheshire Cat!" Alice exclaimed.

"Cool, I missed this guy!" Vanitas exclaimed with a smile on his face.

"Feeling better after that mad dash, are we?" the Cheshire Cat asked. "Oh, but you're not out of the woods, yet!"

"Well, obviously," Vanitas laughed, gesturing to the woods around them.

The cat then disappeared and reappeared on a nearby closed flower.

"The queen's a stickler for justice!" the Cheshire Cat announced. "She won't forget you till she remembers! She won't stop hounding you till you get her memory back! Did she forget because she remembers? Does she remember that she forgot? Doesn't matter, I suppose."

"I don't know," Sora said, putting his hands behind his head. "I think we oughta just stay away from her."

"But Sora, what about Alice?" Jiminy asked. "If the queen catches her again, it's off with... well, you know."

"Doesn't leave us with a lot of options," Vanitas remarked.

"Then I guess we'd better do something about the queen," Sora relented.

The Cheshire Cat then disappeared and reappeared on a nearby tree branch.

"You should do something," the cat said. "But you don't have to do anything."

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"Not following you," Vanitas agreed.

"If you can't remember something, it's like it never happened," the Cheshire Cat said. "Likewise, if something never happened, you can't remember it. Try too hard to remember, and your memory might lie to you."

"Lie?" Sora asked.

The Cheshire Cat then stood on his front paws.

"That's all I'll say," he announced. "The rest is for you to figure out."

The cat disappeared, and they were left wondering about his words.

The group just travelled through some more rooms throughout the floor, while Vanitas had more visions about Riku going through the Castle Oblivion rendition of Hollow Bastion. The four of them eventually made it to the Bizarre Room with Alice, where they looked around, curiously.

"Gawrsh," Goofy said. "What's with the sudden change of scenery?"

"Let's look around!" Alice announced.

She walked forwards as the guys continued to look around.

"Oh, dear!" she exclaimed.

The Queen of Hearts had beaten them there with her card soldiers. She turned to face them as the soldiers held up their weapons.

"Thought you'd seen the last of me, did you?" the Queen asked.

"Uh, oh!" Sora exclaimed as they stood in fighting stances while the Queen walked towards them.

"Games up, scoundrels!" the Queen announced. "For stealing my memory, I sentence you to... I sentence you to..."

The Queen suddenly stopped and looked forwards blankly.

"What the fuck?" Vanitas asked as she continued to stare forwards. "Is she high?"

"I..." the Queen said, holding her hand to her head. "Sentence..."

"Oh?" she suddenly asked. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"Huh?" Donald asked.

"What in the world am I doing?" the Queen yelled. "Confound it, I can't remember!"

"What's wrong with her?" Sora asked as the guys got out of fighting stances.

"Maybe somebody swiped her memory again?" Goofy suggested.

"Sora, watch out!" Alice suddenly exclaimed. "Something's coming!"

A Trickmaster Heartless jumped down from the ceiling and landed in front of the guys and Alice, which caused the battle light to flare. Sora and Vanitas stood on a large table with a chair next to it, facing the giant Heartless, Sora with his Keyblade, and Vanitas with an AK-47 assault rifle with a knife blade underneath the nuzzle, acting as a bayonet.

"So this is what stole the Queen's memory!" Sora exclaimed.

Vanitas fired his rifle at the Heartless' many heads, and Sora jumped up and attacked with a combo, using his cards to break through the boss' attack, stunning it. As Sora fell to the floor, the Heartless lowered itself making it easier for him to reach the head. He attacked with another combo as Vanitas covered him with his rifle. Sora ran off to restock his deck, jumping up twice as the Heartless slammed its sticks into the ground, causing fire shockwaves.

Sora leaped to attack the Trickmaster with another combo, but got interrupted when the Heartless broke through with a same number card, cancelling both attacks. But Sora managed to jump up to get in another combo attack while Vanitas reloaded his rifle. Sora then used another combo, once again breaking through the Trickmaster's attack, once again making it lower itself to the ground. Sora used another combo attack and fell back to the ground, restocking his deck once again while Vanitas covered him with his rifle.

Sora got onto the table and jumped at the Trickmaster to attack with a couple of more combo attacks, while Vanitas continued to fire his rifle into the Heartless' head. Sora managed to do another attack, but then he got low on cards in his deck with high enough numbers. He and Vanitas had to jump off the table as they couldn't stop the Trickmaster's next attack, which was him slamming his sticks into the table, causing it and the chair to recede into the floor.

Vanitas held off the Heartless with his rifle while Sora collected the green Mickey insignia card. Sora didn't hesitate to use the card, making the table and chair reappear. The two climbed onto the table again, and Vanitas fired his rifle at the head once again, as Sora jumped at the head and used a combo to once again break the Heartless' attack, making it to lower itself to the ground once again. Unfortunately, the Heartless then made the table recede into the floor, forcing Vanitas and Sora to have to wing it.

Vanitas took the empty magazine out of his rifle as Sora stopped a lot of the Heartless' attacks by using cards with equal or greater than values. He then got an idea and encased the blade at the end of his rifle in lots of fire. He then raised the rifle into his hand like it was a spear he was about to throw, which it now was. He threw the rifle at the Trickmaster's head, causing quite a bit of damage. Sora helped finish it off by using the sleight Firaga to finish off the Heartless.

A Trickmaster enemy card floated down into Sora's hand, and he put it in his pocket before the two of them were suddenly in the spaces they were before the fight started.

"You there!" the Queen of Hearts exclaimed. "All of you! What is the meaning of this? Where did that creature come from?"

"How would WE know?" Sora asked.

"He's got a point," Vanitas remarked, gesturing to his friend.

"So, you refuse to answer?" the Queen asked. "You're hiding something!" She turned towards the cards. "They're plotting against me! Seize them immediately!"

The card soldiers turned towards them. Vanitas had started to slip his revolver out of his pocket right before Alice quickly walked forwards.

"Please, Your Majesty, wait!" she exclaimed. "It was you who commanded us to destroy those creatures."

"Huh?" Sora asked, looking towards her.

"Go with it," Vanitas whispered to Sora, patting his friend on the shoulder, also squeezing it a bit to emphasize the point.

"Your Majesty, in her prudence, didn't completely trust us at first," Alice explained. "And so, at Your Majesty's command, we fought them to prove ourselves. Sora, Vanitas, isn't that right?"

She turned towards the two doppelgängers.

"We did?" Sora asked.

"We did," Vanitas smiled, still squeezing his friend's shoulder.

"I mean, we did!" Sora said, more confidently as he talked through the slight pain. "Your, uh, Majesty."

"I...told you...to do that?" the Queen slowly asked.

"But Your Majesty, don't you remember?" Alice asked.

"Don't be ridiculous!" the Queen yelled. "I never forget anything! Of course I gave the command. You did splendidly."

The Queen turned and walked away with her card soldiers.

"Well, that was close," Alice sighed out while Vanitas took his hand off of Sora's shoulder.

"Way to improvise!" Sora told her with his hands behind his head. "I never would've thought of that."

"I would have just gone all Dirty Harry," Vanitas admitted, sliding his revolver back in its holster.

"The Cheshire Cat said as much," Alice said, looking towards Sora and Vanitas. "'Try too hard to remember, and your memory might lie to you.' The queen would never admit she forgot. So instead, she remembered something... that didn't happen! She ended up fooling herself."

Sora stopped and thought about something.

"What is it, Sora?" Alice asked as she and Vanitas looked at him, concerned.

"Hm?" he asked. "Nothing. Well, I guess you'll be safe now."

"And the queen won't give us any more trouble!" Goofy told Donald, causing the others to look at him. "After all, we got rid of the Heartless, just like she commanded!"

Donald looked surprised at his taller friends words.

"Don't tell me you've been fooled, too!" Donald exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Vanitas laughed as Donald continued to jump up and down, while Goofy put his hand to his head in thought.

As they walked to the exit hall, Vanitas had two different visions. First, he saw Riku taking out a variation of the same dragon they fought at Hollow Bastion, gaining some help with a floating platform. He finished off the dragon, and received a Dragon-Maleficent enemy card.

The next vision showed Roxas and Xion in a bright town.

"I've got someplace to be again today," Roxas told Xion. "So go on ahead without me."

Roxas started to walk past Xion, but stopped when Xion said, "R...Roxas..."

"Huh?" he asked, turning back towards his partner. "Xion?"

Xion turned to face him and said, "Roxas... is your name."

"Yeah," Roxas said.

Xion turned and walked away from him, and the vision ended.

"What'd you see?" Sora asked.

"More about Roxas," Vanitas answered.

He prepared to explain as they walked through the rooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm a little late at saying this, but Happy New Year!


	5. Revelations and Visions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving between floors, the group discovers something surprising about Jiminy's journal, then figures out something happening

The four friends walked left the main part of the floor and part way through the exit hallway, but stopped when Goofy suddenly stopped and hummed in thought. The other three turned and looked at the dog.

"What's the matter?" Donald asked.

"It's that creepy castle I was talking about earlier..." Goofy said.

"Hollow Bastion," Vanitas once again told them, even though they still couldn't recognize it.

"I know I didn't imagine it," Goofy pressed on. Donald and Sora looked at each other, thinking that maybe Goofy had lost it. "'Cause that was the castle where Sora had to use the Keyblade to free Kairi's heart."

"Yes!" Vanitas exclaimed, pointing at the canine, happy that they remembered that much.

"And then he just disappeared!" Goofy finished. "And I was so worried. How could I ever forget that?"

"Oh!" Sora exclaimed, finding familiarity in Goofy's words. "It was when I turned into a Heartless! Wait. That happened... in a castle?"

"Aww... You forgot that?" Donald asked. "'Cause I remember perfectly."

"Then what's it called?" Sora asked.

"That's easy!" Donald said. "It was..."

He didn't have an answer.

"Guys, it's Hollow Bastion!" Vanitas exclaimed. "Even if it doesn't sound familiar, you won't believe my word?"

"After how we first met?" Donald asked, knowingly.

"Touche," Vanitas sighed out, remembering the lie he had told his friends when he first met them.

"Jiminy, help us," Donald called to the cricket in Sora's hood. "Is it in your journal?"

"Every word!" Jiminy announced, happily. "I finished the first volume right before we got to this castle. Now then, if I can just find it..." He rummaged around in Sora's hood. "Oh, here we go!"

He jumped off of Sora's shoulder holding his journal.

"Let's have a look..." Jiminy muttered, opening the book as he turned towards Sora and Donald.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, backing up in surprise. "How could it be!?"

"What's the matter?" Goofy asked from behind the cricket, leaning forwards.

"How can we not see that?" Vanitas asked next to Goofy.

"All my entries," Jiminy announced, showing the pages to the others. "They're gone! Every page is blank!"

"The fuck?" Vanitas asked, confused.

"What'll we do!?" Donald exclaimed, afraid.

He looked up at Sora, hopeful for an answer.

"How could this have happened?" Jiminy sadly asked. "I'm so careful with the journals!" He started crying a bit. "All that hard work is gone..."

"The journal's blank," Sora said, looking around at the ceiling, confused. "What's going on?"

Jiminy climbed back into Sora's shoulder, and the four friends walked up the staircase, into the entrance hall of the third floor.

"Something's screwy," Donald announced. "Journal pages don't just vanish!"

"You got that right," Vanitas remarked.

Sora stopped, realizing something.

"What if... it's more things?" Sora asked.

Donald and Goofy stopped and looked back towards the brunette as Vanitas stood next to him.

"Goofy and V were telling us about another castle we've been to," Sora started. "But V's the only one who can remember it. Do you think... Could it be that we don't remember because we're losing our memories?"

"Losing?" Donald asked. "Our memories?"

"Hold on!" Jiminy exclaimed, jumping up onto Sora's shoulder. "Remember what that mystery fella said? 'In this place, to find is to lose, and to lose is to find.' It musta been our memories he was talking about losing!"

"So if we keep going, we'll lose more," Sora summarized. "Guess it really is Castle Oblivion."

"But how come he remembers everything?" Donald asked, gesturing to Vanitas.

"Without my life force," Vanitas guessed. "It might not have the same effect on me."

"So the higher we go," Donald guessed, pointing at the ceiling. "The more we'll forget?"

Sora looked down in thought.

"Does that mean everything and everybody will be forgotten?" Donald asked.

"Riku and Kairi, too," Sora said in thought.

Vanitas didn't have an answer, as he himself knew just how that feeling was. After all, he had gone through that exact situation himself.

"Do you want to go back?" Donald asked.

"Don't worry, fellahs!" Goofy announced, walking forwards. "We might forget about where we've been or what things we've seen, but we won't forget who our friends are."

"I don't know..." Donald said uncertainly.

"C'mon, Sora," Goofy said, looking up to Sora. "When you turned into a Heartless, did you forget about me and Donald?"

"Of course I didn't!" Sora declared, shaking his head.

Vanitas raised an eyebrow at his friends' claim, remembering the words he used to Kairi, how he was forgetting who his friends were as he turned into a Heartless, and fell into darkness. Either he didn't remember that, or was just trying to save face, Vanitas shook his head. It didn't matter at the moment.

"There ya go!" Goofy exclaimed. "No matter what happens, you won't forget your friends."

Sora gasped as he and Donald realized that.

"You're right," Sora smiled. "Thank you, Goofy."

Vanitas smiled, fighting off the rude thoughts he had that involved another idiot joke about Goofy.

"So, if there's nothing here that can make you forget about your friends," Donald said. "Then we have nothing to be scared of! Let's go!"

Donald turned and started walking towards the stairs with the indoor porch that had the ornate double doors.

Sora, Vanitas, and Goofy watched him walk forwards as Sora placed his hands on the back of his head.

"But when I turned into a Heartless," Sora said. "Who was the one who took forever to notice and kept clobbering me?"

Vanitas chuckled as Donald stopped and turned to look towards Sora.

"How come you didn't forget about that!?" Donald exclaimed.

Donald quacked angrily as he jumped up and down while the other three laughed at him.

Vanitas then grabbed his head in pain as his vision started. Riku left the Hollow Bastion portion of his basement floor into an exit hallway, where the voice continued to taunt him. Ansem then appeared, which surprised Vanitas, and Riku lunged at him with his sword. But then Ansem launched him back with darkness, and light that turned out to be Mickey helped him out. Riku then fought Ansem, which taught him how to do duels with his cards. Once it was over, Ansem gave Riku some world cards, and the control of the darkness within him.

The vision changed into a dark chamber, where Vanitas ended up seeing his old associates, Even, Ienzo, and Aeleus. However, they were now renamed Vexen, Zexion, and Lexaeus, and how they were apparently now in some Organization, which Vanitas figured was what they called their cult. They talked about new presences in the castle, which Vanitas didn't like.

The vision changed once again, showing Riku walking into the next floor's entrance hall, where he announced his doubts about what was happening, but was quickly reassured by a vision of Mickey. The vision disappeared, and Vanitas' vision ended.

He gasped as his friends looked at him, curiously.

"What'd you see?" Sora asked.

Vanitas breathed in and out.

"Axel and a couple of others," Vanitas said. "We might be in trouble."

The only reason why he lied this time was because he knew they wouldn't be encountering Riku at all during their time here. After all, they were on the third floor, and Riku was on the 12th floor of the basement. What were the chances they'd run into the silver haired teen? Besides, with Mickey helping him out, Vanitas was sure the boy would be all right. Even with Ansem somehow being back, Vanitas was sure the two of them could take him out.

Vanitas looked up, resolving himself to try to find out what was going on here. He followed his friends up the porch and to the doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The people in the basement aren't tagged because most of them are only seen in visions, and won't be affected at all by Sora or Vanitas. That's sort of how I add in the character tags, they have to interact directly with the main character. Which is why even Ansem isn't tagged. But Riku and Mickey eventually will, which is why they're tagged. Which makes me realize I forgot to add one character tag


	6. 3rd Floor: Olympus Coliseum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes through a new rendition of a familiar arena

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of going through this as quickly as I can because I really want to get to the interactions of Vanitas and Roxas. And to eventually have them work together against Thanos. Which I'm really sad to admit is a long way down the road.

The next world card used was for Olympus Coliseum. Sora held the card up to the door and light flared. They walked through the light and onto the sandy ground of the front of the Coliseum. They walked towards the front doors, once again amazed in the sight of the two giant warrior statues. That is, until Donald's attention was drawn to a nearby advertising board. He ran towards it, garnering his friends' attentions.

"Look, an announcement!" he announced.

They ran towards him to read the board. Once they got close enough, Jiminy jumped onto the ground and jumped up and down to read it.

"Hmmm..." Jiminy said in thought. "It's for some sort of contest. They're calling it the 'Olympus Coliseum Survival Cup.' Contenders have to run an obstacle course, battling each other along the way. And listen to this: 'The great hero Hercules will also compete for the Cup.'"

He turned towards his friends.

"It says here he's never been beaten," Jiminy added.

"Sounds like fun," Sora commented. "Why don't we enter, too?"

"I thought you'd say that," Goofy commented. "Whenever there's a contest, you're rarin' to join up."

"Having the Keyblade's given you more head than brain," Vanitas agreed.

"You're going to compete even if we don't, right?" Donald asked.

"Uh huh," Sora admitted, uncrossing his arms while Donald crossed his.

"Guess we'd better tag along, then," Donald admitted.

"Hold it everyone," Jiminy announced, turning towards the board again. "There's more. 'Only contenders who finish the preliminary course may enter the main competition.'"

He turned towards his friends again.

"It says the preliminary course is just ahead," Jiminy finished.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sora asked. "Let's go!"

"All right," Vanitas said, exasperated, even though he was excited, too.

Vanitas pulled out his machete, and the four of them ran down the path.

As they ran through rooms once again fighting Heartless in the weird system with cards, Vanitas saw visions of Riku fighting his was through Hook's ship between rooms. The visions would end quickly and Vanitas would go back to helping Sora fight Heartless. But with Sora's more expanded deck, the fighting had gotten easier so far. After fighting multiple waves of Heartless with the help of newer sleights, the two of them eventually made it into the Coliseum lobby with Donald and Goofy, where they found Phil the satyr.

As Vanitas expected, Phil wasn't that excited to see the four of them.

"Huh?" he asked, confused. "Where did you come from? Don't tell me you guys finished the prelims!"

"That we did," Vanitas said, sliding his machete back in its sheath in his sling.

"And now we want to go for the Cup!" Sora exclaimed happily.

"Well, you came to the right place," Phil said. He then exclaimed cockily. "Not that you stand a chance against Herc."

"Why not?" Donald asked.

"Two words," Phil said, and Vanitas prepared himself for more than two words. Phil even angrily pointed at them with each word. "You ain't heroes!"

"You're wrong!" Sora exclaimed while Donald crossed his arms.

"Yeah, he said three words," Goofy pointed out.

"He can't count," Vanitas told him, knowing he probably didn't remember.

"Exactly," Sora agreed with Goofy. "But that's not the point! How can we prove we're heroes unless you give us a chance?"

Hercules, in all his buffness, entered the room from the opposite entranceway and looked at Phil.

"He's right, Phil," Hercules told him. "They cleared the prelims. I think they deserve a shot."

"Hmm," Phil thought for a second. "You got a point there, Herc. But still..."

"Of course, we could always cancel the games," Hercules suggested.

"Cancel them?" Sora asked. "What for?"

"Old Phil's prelim course was so hard, no one else could finish it," Hercules admitted.

"How's that for dramatic irony?" Vanitas laughed.

"Is that right?" Sora asked. He put his hands behind his head. "Well, if you let us compete, you won't have to cancel the games! How about it, Phil?"

Phil thought about that for a second.

"Okay, you got me over a barrel, so fine," Phil admitted, which caused Vanitas to laugh. "Here's how it works, kid..."

"It's Sora," Sora pointed out. "Not 'kid.'"

Vanitas was suddenly reminded of his vision where Roxas got annoyed by Xigbar calling him "kiddo."

"Sure, sure, kid," Phil said. "Since your team and Hercules are the only contenders..."

"No, they're not," a voice announced from behind the four.

They turned to see the blonde warrior, Cloud walking into the lobby.

"The games have a new challenger," he announced. "Name's Cloud."

"The more the merrier!" Phil announced. "Now the games will really be something to see!"

"I'm looking forward to this," Hercules announced eagerly. "Don't expect me to pull any punches!"

Sora and the others turned towards him.

"Hey, as long as you don't expect me to take them!" Sora remarked.

"Expect me to dish out some of my own," Vanitas remarked.

"Let's give it our best," Sora told his friends as he turned to face them.

"Hmph," was all Cloud said.

"Okay, let's get this show going!" Phil announced. "But first I gotta explain a few rules."

"Rule #1!" Phil started. "First one through the obstacle course wins! Rule #2! In the event of a tie, a battle will determine the winner! Rule #3! You can interfere with your opponents on the course! And finally... Rule #4! All challengers have to give it everything they got!"

The three different sets of people got into place, like they were ready for a race.

"All right, enough with the spiel," Phil said. "On your marks... Get set... GO!"

They started running through the entranceway, and through the obstacle course.

As they ran through the course, Vanitas saw visions of Riku fighting an illusion of Hook, where he won plenty of duels, and eventually beat the illusion.

The four of them took out plenty of Heartless as they made their way through the obstacle course. They stopped as they came across Cloud, who stood as if he was waiting for something.

"Gawrsh, that was nice of him to wait for us to catch up!" Goofy told Donald.

"He's not waiting!" Donald told him. "Remember Rule #3? 'You can interfere with your opponents on the course'!"

Sora summoned his Keyblade just as Cloud turned to face them.

"He's looking to narrow the field!" Sora exclaimed.

The four stood in their battle stances as Cloud continued to look at them.

"You can put that away," Cloud told them. "I'm not looking for a fight with you, so keep moving."

This made Sora and Vanitas curious, and the four of them got out of their stances.

"See?" Goofy asked Donald. "He was waitin' for us to catch up."

"Well, we've caught up," Donald said. "Let's take him up on his offer and keep going!"

"Right," Vanitas uncertainly said as he slid his machete back into its sheath.

"I don't see a downside," Sora admitted with equal uncertainty.

The four of them walked past Cloud, but stopped when he walked past them as well. They turned and looked back at the taller blonde.

"Listen are you sure?" Sora asked.

"Gotta make sure," Vanitas added.

"I'm not here for the Cup," Cloud told them. "Just Hercules. Today he loses more than the competition."

"I know what that means," Vanitas said.

"You don't mean," Sora said, understanding Cloud's tone as well. "But why!?"

"This is business," Cloud said. "Stay out of it. Go win your Cup."

Sora and Vanitas responded to that by bringing out their weapons once again and standing in their battle stances. Cloud turned to face them.

"Do you realize what you're doing?" Cloud asked.

"Rule #3!" Sora exclaimed. "You can interfere with your opponents. Right? You're not the only one who wants to fight Hercules."

The others joined him in getting in their battle stances.

"Big mistake," Cloud remarked.

"For you," Vanitas remarked.

Light flared and Sora and Vanitas were standing in a square tiled platform in their battle stances across from Cloud. Cloud slashed his blade forwards in preparation.

They started by dodging a lunge from Cloud, and Sora performed an extended combo with the assistance from an enemy card. They dodged another attack and Sora stashed a sleight away for later use. He used another combo attack while Vanitas slashed at Cloud with his machete. He kicked the blonde in the back before he rushed forwards with a slash, similar to Sora's Sonic Blade.

Sora then used his attack of Blizzard Raid, cancelling out Cloud's attack of Omnislash, and hitting him with his Keyblade encased in ice. Vanitas then grabbed Cloud by his shoulders and kneed him in his stomach. Vanitas distracted the warrior long enough for Sora to re-stack his deck. Sora then used another extended combo to knock the man back. Vanitas used a roundhouse kick to push him back, before Sora used another combo to knock him back. He then finished the fight by using the move Blitz to swing the Keyblade into Cloud three times, hard.

Ending the fight gave Sora a Hi-Potion card, which he would remember to add to his deck later on.

Once the fight was over, light flared and the four of them looked around curiously, as they couldn't see Cloud anywhere.

"Cloud!" Sora exclaimed. "Where'd you go?"

Jiminy jumped out of Sora's hood and looked up at the four.

"He headed to the finish line!" Jiminy announced. "We'd better go after him!"

"Right!" Sora exclaimed, nodding his head.

Jiminy jumped back into Sora's jacket hood and they ran down the path once again.

The four of them quickly reached the end of the line, finding themselves in the arena part of the coliseum once again. They found Hercules and Cloud already there. Cloud was on his knees, and Hercules stood across from him.

"You lost!" Hercules announced. "Give it up, Cloud!"

"We're not done yet," Cloud weakly said as he stood up.

"I can't guarantee your safety if we keep going like this!" Hercules told him.

"Better worry about yourself," Cloud remarked. "Looks to me like you're slowing down a bit."

"Ungh," Hercules weakly sighed out.

Cloud slowly pushed himself up as Sora and Vanitas ran next to Hercules. Sora summoned his Keyblade and Vanitas pulled out his machete, and they both got in their battle stances.

"Don't worry!" Sora told him. "We'll back you up!"

"I've been wanting to kick an ass for a while!" Vanitas admitted.

"Sora?" Hercules asked.

"Get all the backup you want," Cloud remarked. "I'm going to finish you and get back my memories!"

Sora straightened up, surprised.

"Your memories?" he asked.

"Oh," Vanitas simply said, sliding his machete back in its sheath. "I see what's going on here."

"Now, now, Cloud, we don't want to spill the beans," announced a voice that Vanitas recognized.

Hades then walked into view with his blue fire hair and black robes.

"Hades!" Hercules exclaimed. "You!"

"Looks like you oversold yourself," Hades told Cloud. "All you did was wear him down. This doesn't look good for your performance rating... Let me put it this way: You, my spikey-haired friend, are fired."

Cloud was surprised by this.

"But... my memories!" he exclaimed. "We had a deal!"

Hades turned away from him and looked towards the people ready to fight.

"Did you really think you could get back your lost memories just like that?" he asked. "Get a grip!"

"Why you..." Cloud angrily said.

"Out of the way!" Hades announced. "I'll take care of Irk-ules myself!"

"Bring it on, motherfucker," Vanitas told Hades.

All of a sudden, the entire area was now dark, with the fire in the nearby lanterns being the only source of light. Fire appeared in Hades' hands, and he fired it into the ground, causing a shockwave that knocked back Sora, Vanitas, Donald, and Goofy, and knocked down Hercules and Cloud.

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed as they were pushed back.

"Rule #5!" Hades announced. "It's never too late to enter the games."

"Hades, you were behind this from the start!" Hercules exclaimed.

"Cloud may have failed to take you out, but he did break you down," Hades said. "Time for Plan B. Pack your pita, Herc, 'cause you've just won a free trip to the Underworld; paid by me!"

Sora, Vanitas, and the living animals ran forwards and stood in their battle stances.

"Hold it!" Sora exclaimed.

"Sora, no!" Hercules exclaimed.

"Come on, Herc," Sora said. "How can we go one-on-one if you're in the Underworld?"

"He's not wrong," Vanitas remarked, readying his SPAS-12 to fire.

"Good point, kid!" Hades agreed. "I guess you'll just have to go with him! Rule #6! There are no rules! Ha ha!"

Light flared and Sora and Vanitas were now standing across from Hades on the tiled battleground.

They immediately dodged two attacks from Hades, and Sora used his enemy card to extend his combos. He attacked Hades with the combo, and Vanitas then blasted the god with his shotgun. Sora then used Blizzard Raid on Hades, doing a significant amount of damage, what with the ice attack. Hades then used his own sleight to make himself go red. He floated to the center of the arena and blasted fire out of both of his hands. The two dodged the attack, while Sora gathered cards for his own specific sleight.

Once Hades' attack ended, Sora used Blitz to attack him twice, but the god moved out of the way of the third attack. Vanitas blasted Hades with his shotgun, then used it as a club to hit him in his head. They dodged a couple of more attacks, then Sora used Sliding Dash to slide through Hades in an attack. The two had to dodge it as Hades used a magic sleight, Firagaball to throw a large ball of fire at them, which he tried repeating twice. He especially made it hard for the two to hit him with how he was floating around the arena.

After getting hit a few times, Sora decided to give Hades his worst nightmare by casting Blizzaga on him, doing significant damage. Vanitas then covered Sora while he re-stacked his deck. Vanitas smacked the butt of his gun into Hades' head, then blasted him twice with his shotgun. When it clicked empty, he then jumped up and kneed Hades in the chest, twice, causing him to lean forwards a bit. He then jumped up a bit higher, and came down by elbowing him in the back. With Sora's deck re-stacked, Sora gathered three cards in place, and used the sleight to throw his Keyblade into Hades, ending the fight.

Sora was then presented with a Hades enemy card, which he stored away for later.

Light flared, and the two of them were standing in the now brighter arena with Donald and Goofy, Hercules, and Phil. Cloud was nearby, resting from the recent attack. Phil was filling them in on the most recent development.

"What!?" Sora exclaimed. "The games are cancelled? How come?"

"Two words!" Phil announced. Once again, he gestured dramatically as he said each next word. "Everyone is pooped!"

"Wait," Goofy said. "That was more than two..."

"Just let it go," Vanitas told Goofy.

"You gotta be kidding!" Sora exclaimed. "What about my match with Hercules?"

"I'm sorry, Sora," Hercules told Sora, genuinely sounding it. "But you wouldn't want me to compete in this condition. Let's have a match when I've rested up a bit. Can you wait?"

"Okay," Sora relented. "I'll hold you to that."

"Then it's settled!" Hercules agreed.

"Sora, V, over here!" Jiminy announced from where Cloud was. "He's coming around."

The group turned and started walking towards Cloud, who was on one knee, slowly breathing in and out.

"You okay?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," Cloud managed to croak out.

He slowly stood up and faced the group.

"Sorry I messed up your games," he told them.

Cloud turned and started to walk away.

"Hey!" Sora called after him, causing him to stop. "Hope you get your memories back! Forget about what Hades said."

"Yeah, fuck that guy," Vanitas agreed.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "Sometimes the tiniest thing can make you remember stuff you forgot years ago. If it's an important memory, there's no way it could ever be gone forever. That's what I think, anyway."

Donald, Goofy, and Vanitas nodded at his words. Especially Vanitas, as there was still a good amount he couldn't remember that he knew was important.

A blue summon card suddenly appeared in Cloud's hand, and he tossed it to Sora. He caught it, studying Cloud's face on the card.

"That's for you," Cloud said. "For helping me out."

"Sure you don't want to just come with us instead?" Sora asked, putting his hands on the back of his head.

Cloud looked over his shoulder at them and waved his hair as he said "Not interested."

"I still like him," Vanitas commented as Cloud walked away.

Vanitas then gripped his head in pain. He saw Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion again. Zexion mentioned that he recognized Riku in the lower part of the castle they were in, and Vexen told them that Sora and Vanitas were in the castle, and Marluxia had a plan for them. And while Vexen wasn't that interested in Sora, he was interested in Riku, which he announced in the creepy smile that Vanitas did _not_ miss.

He gasped as the pain ended and walked with his friends to the exit hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added in the missing character tag


	7. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While changing floors, Vanitas has another vision about their enemies, and Sora tries reassuring his friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These in-between floor chapters are significantly easier to do since they consist entirely of just dialogue

As the four of them walked into the exit hall, Donald sighed out sadly.

"I hope the king is gonna be okay..." he announced.

"I'm sure he's all right," Vanitas said, remembering how Mickey was helping out Riku.

"Why bring that up?" Sora asked.

"I had to be sure I hadn't forgotten him," Donald explained.

"How'd that go for ya?" Goofy asked.

"Good!" Donald admitted, nodding his head as he looked at Goofy. "I remembered: we're on a quest to find the king."

"I remember that, too," Goofy said. "The king helped save everything by staying on the other side of the door to darkness. I think..."

"That's exactly what happened," Vanitas said, happy his friend remembered that.

"You got it, Goofy!" Donald assured the dog as Sora walked over to the three.

"And me," Sora said, garnering their attentions. "I'm looking for Riku. He was with the king when the door closed."

Sora smiled and put his hands on the back of his head.

 _Man, he does that a lot_ , Vanitas thought.

"Hm," Sora said. "I guess there's no way we'll forget the most important memories."

"Well, most of the time," Vanitas remarked.

"Yeah," Donald agreed. "But it is good when we can remember stuff. 'Cause I don't want to forget..."

"Don't worry," Vanitas reassured him. "I'm sure we'll see them again soon."

As they walked to the staircase, Vanitas couldn't help but think about RIku and Mickey making their way through the castle's basements, and hoping they'd reunite with the two during their stay here, however long it would be.

But during the walk up the stairs, Vanitas had the usual vision, but this one included Axel and some blonde girl. A white orb on a white pedestal stood between the two.

"You seem pretty intrigued by this Sora kid, and his friend, Vanitas," she told Axel.

"Are you telling me you're not, Larxene?" Axel asked.

She chuckled and turned away from him, smiling.

 _She's_ _a bitch_ , Vanitas interpreted from her evil looking smile.

"Haven't decided yet..." Larxene said. "I think what intrigues me more is what you see in them."

"There was a time Sora became a Heartless," Axel said, looking down into the orb. "And if one becomes a Heartless..."

"They lose their minds and their feelings," Larxene said. "They're consumed by the darkness."

"Right," Axel agreed. "But not Sora. He held on to his feelings even as a Heartless. And there's only one other man who's been able to do just that."

"It's the strength of his heart," Laexene summarized. She then smiled. "That's what interests you. Why the Keyblade chose Sora's heart."

Axel looked down, and Vanitas suddenly saw Roxas, and remembered the friendship the two had developed. Axel must have some way of knowing the connection between Sora and Roxas. Now if Vanitas could just have two minutes to talk to the red head, maybe he'd be willing to tell him just what that connection was.

"To unlock the mysteries of the heart," Axel told Larxene. "Isn't that the Organization's mission?"

She just chuckled at him.

"What about Vanitas?" Larxene asked. "Is it because he has no life force?"

"No, there's something else," Axel said, looking down in thought. "Ever since I first laid eyes on that ravenette, I can't help but feel like I've seen him somewhere before."

Vanitas' vision ended before he could see Axel elaborate what he was talking about.

It was then that Vanitas realized that he could kind of recognize Axel from somewhere, too. Not from before he lost his memories, but at least before he left for Traverse Town. Was he from Hollow Bastion?

That question quickly left his mind as he and his friends walked into the fourth floor entrance hall.

"Hey," Donald said. "I wonder if there's anything we've forgotten..."

"Don't worry," Vanitas told the duck. "If you guys have forgotten it, I probably remember it."

"Hmm," Goofy stopped in thought. "If we did, what would it have been?"

The other two stopped and crossed their arms in thought.

"I can't think of anything," Goofy admitted. "So maybe that means I really am losing my memories."

"Sure, that must be it," Vanitas said, fighting really hard not to say something that would definitely be mean.

Donald just sadly looked down.

"But whatever they were," Goofy said, pointing up. "They couldn't have been very important memories, right?"

"Right," Sora agreed. "Or else, I don't think you would have forgotten it."

He then pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to the three.

"Look," he said, showing them the star shaped charm.

Vanitas remembered it as that charm Kairi had given him underground Traverse Town. But for some reason, Vanitas felt like he had seen the shape before on something he had owned. Like he had something before that was a lot like this thing.

"What is it?" Donald asked.

"A good luck charm Kairi gave me," Sora told them. "It's special to her, so I promised that I would return it." He placed it to his heart and looked up with the smile still on his face. "I'll never forget making that promise." He looked down, with his eyes closed. "It's why I could never forget Kairi."

The other three nodded their heads.

 _When are you gonna admit how you feel about her, you little bastard?_ Vanitas thought, laughing a bit in his head.

Sora looked up smiling, and Vanitas could tell that his brunette lookalike was having his own vision. Since it was obviously about the girl, Vanitas was a little upset his powers didn't flare to let him see what he was seeing. Especially when Sora exclaimed in surprise and looked behind himself. He then turned back towards them and muttered something to himself.

"Hey, Sora," Donald remarked. "Where did you go?"

"Do I look that stupid when I have visions?" Vanitas whispered to Goofy, curious.

"A little," Goofy admitted.

"Sorry," Sora said, scratching his head, embarrassed. "Never mind."

"We better keep goin'," Goofy said, turning and pointing towards the indoor porch and double doors.

Sora looked a little uncertain for a second, but followed the others to the door.


	8. 4th Floor: Agrabah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group makes their way through an altered form of Agrabah

Sora held up the world card for Agrabah to the doors, and they walked through the light into the middle of a marketplace. They walked through the marketplace looking around, curiously. They stopped quickly enough at the sight in front of them.

"Sora, V, look!" Goofy exclaimed as they stood ready. "Someone's in trouble!"

The man Vanitas remembered as Aladdin was surrounded by Shadows, holding just a sword.

"We'd better do something!" Donald exclaimed.

They ran forwards, summoning their weapons as Vanitas pulled out his AK-47 from his sling. They ran into the circle of Heartless and stood with the long haired man.

"Mind if we help?" Sora asked.

"Thanks!" Aladdin told them. "I thought I was done for."

They stood ready in their battle stances before light flared, and it was just Sora and Vanitas.

Sora used a Shadow enemy card to give himself an extended combo, and started attacking with it. He then gathered three cards to start Blizzard Raid, and threw his ice encased Keyblade through some more of the Shadows. Vanitas took out the remaining two by shooting one twice, and stabbing the other with the knife added under his gun muzzle.

As they got down to the last Shadow, Bandit Heartless and floating Nocturnals appeared. Sora broke a Bandit's attack with his extended combo once again, while Vanitas shot the two yellow Nocturnes. While Vanitas slashed the knife through the green Nocturne with the knife, Sora used the Sliding Dash sleight to knock back the three Bandits. Sora finished off one Bandit with Firaga, and Vanitas smacked one of the still alive yellow Nocturnes with the butt of his rifle.

While Sora re-stacked his deck, Vanitas took out one of the yellow Nocturnes and the green one. Sora then used Blitz to finally finish off the remaining Shadow, and a Fat Bandit and some Air Soldiers appeared. Sora attempted to start with the remaining Bandits, but his attack was broken by the Fat Bandit. While Sora tried attacking, only causing another card to break, Vanitas tried jumping onto the Fat Bandits shoulders. He climbed up, and started shooting down, directly into its head.

The Fat Bandit shot a globe of spit fire (ew) at Sora, hurting him, before he attempted another combo, finishing off one Bandit. While Vanitas emptied his rifle into the Fat Bandit's head, Sora used the two Aladdin cards he had gathered to summon the man there. He ran forwards, slashing with his sword, stunning the Heartless he hit, and destroying the Fat Bandit. Vanitas fell to the ground, but easily landed on his feet.

Sora then used both Fira and Blizzaga to take out many of the remaining Heartless, leaving two Air Soldiers. Vanitas took one out with the knife on his gun, and Sora finished off the last one with his extended combo. Their reward was a simple room card, but light flared once again, and the two of them were standing with the other three, surrounded by more Shadows.

"They just keep coming!" Donald exclaimed, worried.

"Guess we'd better see if the legends are true," Aladdin muttered. He pulled out a familiar-to-Vanitas lamp.

"Magic lamp, my first wish!" Aladdin announced. "Get rid of these Heartless!"

Blue smoke originated from the lamp, and once enough of it had gathered, the Genie appeared above them.

"Stand back, kids!" Genie announced, happily. "Genie of the lamp coming through! Ain't nothin' I can't make right as rain... well, if we HAD rain in the desert. But enough dry jokes! One Heartless disappearing act, coming right up!"

Genie pointed up, and magic flared in his finger. The Shadows then disappeared in the form of the same magic as the five of them looked around, amazed.

"Gawrsh!" Goofy exclaimed as they put away all their weapons.

Donald turned towards Aladdin.

"Why didn't you call him in the first place?" he demanded.

"It's not that simple," Aladdin said, looking down sadly. "You see..."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Genie interrupted. "But I will anyway! I'm strictly limited to three wishes per master. And ixnay on the wishing for more wishes!"

He disappeared in a flash of his own magic.

"So you've got two wishes left?" Sora asked. "Better use them carefully."

"I've gotta get back to the palace somehow," Aladdin explained. "But with all these Heartless..."

"Hey, Sora," Goofy said. "We're heading that way, too, so why don't we go with Aladdin?"

"We had nothing better to do," Vanitas pointed out.

"Sounds like a plan," Sora agreed.

"That would be great!" Aladdin praised them. "Thanks a lot!"

As Sora and Vanitas made their way through the rooms, Vanitas saw flashes of Riku making his way through his own version of Agrabah. The chances of them moving though the same kind of world at the same time, Vanitas would never know. They eventually made their way to the entrance of town.

"So, uh, why are you heading to the palace, Aladdin?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, it'd be nice to know," Vanitas remarked, even though he already knew Aladdin's motivation.

"That no good royal vizier, Jafar," Aladdin explained. "He tricked me into getting this magic lamp from the Cave of Wonders." He pulled out the lamp to emphasize his point. "The cave was crawling with Heartless. I'm lucky I made it back to Agrabah in one piece!"

"Wasn't there anyone else there to help you out?" Sora asked. "This Jafar guy's got some nerve giving such dangerous orders."

"Sounds like an asshole," Vanitas remarked.

"I know how you feel, Master," Genie remarked. "People have been ordering me around for 10,000 years. And what help do I get? I keep wishin' someone will wish me outta this gig. But go figure the odds on that."

"Well, how 'bout I use my third wish to set you free?" Aladdin asked.

Genie looked ecstatic at that.

"Doth my pointy ears deceive me?" Genie asked. "Master, you'd do that for me? You're not just pulling my topknot now, are you?"

"I promise, Genie," Aladdin assured him. "Anyway, there's only one thing I really want."

"Then we'll just have to DO something about that, Al!" Genie announced. "Can I call you Al? So what'll it be? Fame? Fortune? A herd of luxury camels to call your very own?"

"Well, there's this girl," Aladdin said, not surprising Vanitas at all. "Her name is Jasmine. She's the princess of Agrabah. And... that's the problem. It's hard for a 'street rat' like me to get a chance to see her. That's how this all started. I thought if I went to the Cave of Wonders, I could get the treasure, and maybe then Jasmine would want to meet me."

"Sounds like your wish should be that you can see Jasmine anytime you want, huh?" Sora asked.

 _That doesn't sound like a stalker at all_ , Vanitas thought, sarcastically.

"Well, I've got just the package for you!" Genie exclaimed. "You'll not only meet the lady, you'll go in style... as PRINCE ALI! How d'ya like the sound of that, Al?"

"Me, a prince!" Aladdin exclaimed. "Can you really do that?"

"In an Agrabah minute!" Genie answered.

"I guess the legends were true after all," Aladdin remarked to the others. "C'mon, let's get to the palace!"

They turned, and ran through the city exit. Sora and Vanitas made their way through the various rooms once again until they reached a ledge that was over the ground. They looked down at the ground, once again in surprise.

"Look at that!" Donald exclaimed.

"Who is that..." Aladdin muttered as they saw an unconscious woman on the ground, surrounded by Shadows. He then recognized her. "It's Jasmine!"

"She needs our help!" Goofy exclaimed.

"We'll never make it in time!" Sora remarked.

"Then I've no choice," Aladdin sighed out, looking up at Genie. "Genie, I wish for you to save Jasmine!"

"Can do!" Genie announced. "CHAAARGE!"

Once again, he pointed into the air, magic flared, and all the Shadows disappeared in flares of that same magic.

The five made their way down, and Aladdin crouched over the unconscious Jasmine.

"Jasmine!" he exclaimed.

"We're lucky!" Goofy exclaimed. "She fainted, but it looks like she's okay."

"But now you've only got one wish left," Sora pointed out.

More Shadows all of a sudden popped up.

"Not again!" Aladdin exclaimed as the others took out their weapons. "Sorry, Genie. But you're the only one who can..."

"Wait!" Sora interrupted him. "This is your last wish! Don't waste it. This time, let _us_ handle the wish-granting!"

"Hell, yeah!" Vanitas exclaimed, pulling out his trusty machete.

The fight sort of played out the same way it did before, except with Vanitas using his machete instead of his gun. They took out the various Heartless once again, and eventually took them out. Light flared, placing them back where they were before the fight started. They put away their weapons and faced each other.

"See?" Sora asked. "We didn't need Genie this time."

"Thanks, Sora," Aladdin said. "But I'm still down to my last wish..."

Light flared once again, blinding them all.

"What..." Sora said, confused.

"Wak!" Donald exclaimed. "What's happening?"

"Did we just get high?" Vanitas asked, confused.

"Oh, no!" Aladdin exclaimed, searching his pockets. "The lamp! It's gone!"

Knowing someone was watching them, the five looked up to the ledge to see Jafar with his parrot, Iago.

"Hmm, it seems my plans have gone amiss," Jafar recounted in his regal voice. "I was certain you'd waste your last wish, what with poor Jasmine in distress and these delightful creatures to deal with. But no matter." He pulled out the lamp and held it up. "At last the lamp and its genie are mine to command!"

"Why are you doing this, Jafar?" Aladdin asked. "You've got the lamp! What more do you want?"

"Such an interesting question," Jafar remarked. "You see, I knew you were going to use the lamp to try and win Jasmine's heart. But we can't have that, now, can we? Because I am the one Jasmine will marry!"

"You!?" Sora exclaimed in disbelief.

"Perv!" Vanitas exclaimed in disgust.

"Certainly you realize that if I marry the princess," Jafar pointed out. "Then nothing can stop me from becoming Sultan! You're nothing more than a pawn in my game, street rat!"

"Genie!" Jafar then exclaimed. "My first wish! Deliver Jasmine to me!"

All of a sudden, Jasmine disappeared from behind the boys. They looked up to see Genie unhappily carry Jasmine as he floated up next to Jafar.

"Genie!" Aladdin exclaimed. "What are you doing!?"

"The one with the lamp calls the shots," Vanitas pointed out.

"He's right," Genie said. "Sorry, Al. My hands are tied on this one. I gotta obey whoever has his mitts on the lamp."

"Precisely," Jafar said. "Farewell, Aladdin, you fool!"

Jafar turned and walked away, with Genie reluctantly following him.

"Great," Aladdin sadly said. "Now I've lost Jasmine _and_ the lamp."

"You can feel bad about it some other time!" Sora exclaimed. "If you don't pull yourself together, you'll never see Jasmine again!"

"Get your head together," Vanitas added. He thought, _You totally, not at all a stalker._

"You lost the lamp," Sora added. "So what? You can still save her on your own! Losing someone you care about is bad, but not as bad as never getting them back!"

"Sora, V," Aladdin said, turning towards the two. "You're right. I can't give up now! I've gotta save Jasmine!"

"But Jafar's got the lamp," Donald pointed out. "We can't just walk up to him and expect to win..."

"Not without a plan, at least," Vanitas added.

"Maybe we can," Aladdin told them. "I've got an idea. Listen up!"

Aladdin told them the plan, and they made their way through the remaining rooms just as Riku reached his own world conclusion, according to Vanitas' visions.

The group ran down the road towards the palace without Aladdin. They stood in front of Jafar in their battle stances, with Vanitas holding his sledgehammer.

"What's this?" Jafar asked. "Has Aladdin given up on his precious Jasmine already? Well, I'm not going to waste a wish on the likes of you four."

"Prick," Vanitas remarked.

"I'll deal with you myself!" Jafar finished.

"Aladdin!" Sora exclaimed. "Now!"

Aladdin jumped off of a nearby rood and faced Jafar.

"What?" Jafar asked. "You! Genie, seize him!"

Aladdin ran towards Jafar, but Genie then appeared in front of him.

"Al, forgive me!" Genie exclaimed, sadly.

Genie then knocked Aladdin aside onto his back.

"You fell for it, Jafar!" Aladdin announced, sitting up.

"What do you mean!?" Jafar demanded as Aladdin stood up.

"He means you just blew your second wish!" Sora explained.

"Only one left, dumbass!" Vanitas elaborated.

"Go ahead, use it to win Jasmine's heart," Aladdin offered. "You'll still have us to deal with!"

"Oh, _now_ I get it," Genie exclaimed, happily. "Al, you are so clever!"

"Well, well," Jafar observed. "The cunning of a rat. But unfortunately, you can't see beyond the bait. Your little ploy changes nothing! I can crush you once and for all _and_ make Jasmine my own!"

"Uh, oh," Vanitas said, remembering what had happened last time they faced Jafar.

"Genie!" Jafar announced. "My last wish! Transform me into an all-powerful genie!"

Genie sadly snapped his fingers, and Jafar was surrounded in smoke.

Sora and Vanitas landed on a platform in the middle of a giant chamber with lava around the platform. Jafar's form of a giant red genie appeared and crossed his arms at the two.

"It's so hot!" Sora exclaimed. "Jafar must be doing this."

Iago suddenly flew by carrying Jafar's lamp, and the two knew their objective. The fight was pretty much the same as when they were on actual Agrabah. They just ran around the arena and attacked Iago over raising and lowering platforms until he dropped the lamp. As they fought, Vanitas saw visions of Riku fighting his own Jafar with his own abilities, including his duels and Dark Mode. Once they got a Mickey card, they used it to make all the platforms even and at Iago's level, and finished it off, not long before Riku finished off his own Iago.

Both Sora and Riku were rewarded with Jafar-Genie enemy cards, which they stored away. Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas were back in front of the palace with everyone else, including Aladdin and Genie.

"We rescued Jasmine _and_ we got the lamp back!" Donald observed.

"You still have one wish left, Aladdin," Goofy pointed out.

"He sure does," Genie said. "Time for me to make a prince outta this guy! Course, I'd like to be free, but like they say, genies can't be choosers. You're probably miffed about that whole puppet-of-Jafar thing, anyway. Go on, Al. Wish for what's really in your heart. Be a prince. Get the girl."

"Okay, here goes," Aladdin said, looking down, while Genie prepared. He looked up at his friend. "Genie, I wish for your freedom!"

Genie looked surprised.

"But, Al...!"

Genie's magic surrounded him in a purplish tornado. The five watched as Genie's tail flashed and transformed into a pain of legs.

"Now no one like Jafar can use you for evil again," Aladdin told him. "Genie, you're free!"

"Al, I'll never forget this," Genie said, gratefully. "But what about Jasmine? What are you gonna do?"

"I was wrong, Genie," Aladdin said. "If I used your help to win Jasmine... I'd be no better than Jafar."

"Jasmine means the world to me," Aladdin told his friends. "I want to show her the real me."

"That's the spirit!" Sora cheered him on.

"Thanks, and good luck to you, too," Aladdin told him.

"What for?" Sora asked.

"I was ready to give up back there," Aladdin explained. "But what you said really kept me going. That's when it hit me. You must be looking for someone you care about, too."

"Yeah..." Sora admitted.

"I have been for the last decade," Vanitas admitted.

Goofy patted the ravenette on the shoulder, sympathetically.

"Listen, Genie," Aladdin started to say to Genie.

"Say no more, little pal!" Genie exclaimed. "I know _just_ what you're thinking! Here you go, Sora!"

Light flared, and a Genie magic card floated down into Sora's hand. He stored it away for later use.

"Whenever you need me, just call," Genie told him. "That okay with you, Al?"

"Of course!" Aladdin assured him.

"Are you sure?" Sora asked.

"Anytime at all," Genie said. "Hey, without you guys, I might never have been able to ditch that lamp! And I think Aladdin will be fine without me for at least a little while."

"I see," Sora said. "Thanks."

"It _will_ be cool to have Mrs. Doubtfire around for a little while longer," Vanitas remarked, to many confused faces.

"Let's hope both our wishes come true, then," Aladdin told Sora. "Take care, guys!"

He turned and started running back into town.

"Good luck!" Vanitas called after him. He then muttered. "You stalker."

"What was that?" Goofy asked.

"Nothing," Vanitas said. "Let's go."

The group made their way to the exit hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might not do an Earth 616 world for Castle Oblivion after all, because there'd be too many complications. I'm still working out the plot and kinks in my head. I do like the idea of using Avenger Friend cards to call upon one of the Avengers, though, so that might be a deciding factor


	9. Memory of another

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanitas sees an important fight, and Sora finally "remembers" something important.

As they made their way to the exit hall, Vanitas saw another vision of Riku. He had already made it to his exit hallway, and was facing down Vexen, the Organization member of his old friend, Even. Vexen told Riku that the term Nobody worked for the version of Ansem that he had encountered, and Vanitas figured it worked. It was a little rude and self-demeaning, but it worked. Vexen explained that the Nobodies belonged to neither light or dark, and existed in between. But Riku was able to identify the man as an enemy, and summoned his sword.

He faced Vexen, who had a wicked looking shield, that he definitely didn't have in his pre-Organization days. Riku managed to hold up against Vexen's ice attacks and slashes from the sharp parts of his shield, which wasn't easy from the looks of it. Riku held off with his duel attacks and Dark Mode, and eventually defeated Vexen.

Vexen then laughed wickedly as he revealed to Riku that he was just trying to make him mad to ignite the darkness within him, giving him data. And with his background with data as Even, Vanitas knew that that didn't mean anything good. Vexen just uttered thanks and disappeared as darkness surrounded him, making him teleport away.

Vanitas' vision ended as they entered the exit hallway.

"What'd you see?" Donald asked.

"This cult of pricks in black," Vanitas remarked. "They call themselves the Organization. And some of the members include the former apprentices that I was with when I was on Hollow Bastion."

"Really?" Goofy asked, surprised.

"They seem to be the earliest members, highest ranked," Vanitas remarked. "So far, I've seen four of the six. Braig, Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo. Along with Axel, Saix, some asshole named Demyx, and a bitch named Larxene. And that's not involving Roxas. I think these guys exist between Light and Darkness, in the Twilight between, and they made Roxas join them. And whatever they plan on doing, it doesn't seem pleasant."

"I really wish your visions were more specific," Donald remarked.

"You and me, both, pal," Vanitas said. "But the thing is, I'm starting to recognize Axel and Saix. Like, I've seen them before."

"You knew them before your amnesia," Goofy concluded.

"No," Vanitas remarked. "I feel like... I've met them somewhere else. After Xehanort took everything from me."

"It'll come to you," Donald told him. "Eventually."

"I hope so," Vanitas said.

The three of them stopped and turned back towards the door to see Sora just standing in thought.

"Sora!" Donald called out, surprising the young one. "Let's go! You want to find Riku and the king and find out what these people are doing here, don't you?"

"Um, sure," Sora said, uncertainly. He muttered something they couldn't understand, and followed them up the stairs.

They started walking towards the indoor porch, and Donald and Goofy nodded at each other. They started to walk forwards, but Sora stopped them.

"I remember!" he exclaimed.

"Huh?" Donald, Goofy, and Vanitas all asked.

"There was another girl!" Sora announced.

"What?" Goofy asked as he and Donald looked around, confused. "A girl? Where?"

Vanitas just raised an eyebrow at his friend's words.

"No, no," Sora elaborated. "I mean on the islands where I used to live. Besides Kairi and Riku, there was one other girl I was friends with. The four of us played together all the time."

"Sora," Jiminy announced climbing onto Sora's shoulder. "Seems to me that's the first time you mentioned her."

"Yeah," Vanitas agreed with rightful suspicion. "You never told us about her before we got to this castle."

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "I guess I forgot all about her. I think... she just suddenly went away when I was still really little."

"What do you think made you remember that now?" Donald asked.

"I'm not sure," Sora admitted, looking down and shaking his head. "But it's been coming back in pieces as we go through the castle."

"Really?" Vanitas thought, still suspicious.

"Gawrsh, do ya remember her name?" Goofy asked.

"I don't remember," Sora admitted. "I feel kinda dumb. We said we weren't gonna forget our friends, and well now... I can't even remember her name."

He looked down sadly.

"Sora..." Donald said as he and Goofy looked at the brunette sympathetically.

"Aww, you shouldn't be worryin' none!" Goofy assured him. "If it's been coming back to you in pieces... You're sure to remember her name just like everything else!"

Sora looked up at his friends and nodded, thankful.

Vanitas remained skeptical. This couldn't be a coincidence. The pricks here, and Sora all of a sudden remembering some girl he never mentioned before? Something was going on. And unfortunately, the only way to figure it out was to keep going. So, they turned towards the indoor porch and walked towards it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say here


	10. 5th Floor: Monstro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes through an alternate rendition of a familiar giant whale

The group used the Monstro world card on the door and walked through the light right into the weird looking hallways of the giant whale. Vanitas had to admit, the designs of the whale's various body cells on the walls and floor were elaborate, and a little cool to the unknowing mind. On the knowing mind, it was actually pretty gross.

The four of them stopped and Sora and Donald looked around, curiously.

"What a weird place!" Sora exclaimed. "Everything's kinda springy and soft."

"Nice and warm, too," Goofy interjected. "I'm startin' to feel like a nap."

"That's probably not a good idea," Vanitas remarked. "I remember this place; we're inside a giant whale. If you take a nap, there's a chance you might slip into some stomach acid. So, be careful."

Goofy straitened up, and looked at the wall, suddenly afraid.

"He's right," a voice called out. "You should be a little more worried."

This caused Sora, Donald, and Goofy to look around, curiously.

"Who's there?" Donald called out.

"Like he said," the young boy nearby continued. "You're inside the belly of Monstro the Whale."

Jiminy jumped out from Sora's hood and onto the ground. Vanitas looked up and smirked at the cricket's predictability at the young boy's voice.

"Why, I know that voice," he said. "Pinocchio? Pinoke, it's you! Come on out!"

The group turned towards the small, wooden boy nearby hiding slightly behind a wall.

"Is that you, Jiminy?" Pinocchio asked. "Gosh, I thought I'd never see you again!"

Jiminy ran towards the boy.

"Gee, there's no way you wouldn't find me again," he told Pinocchio. "I'm your conscience. And you're conscience will always be your guide. Remember?"

 _Did he forget that these are illusions?_ Vanitas thought. _They might be realistic, but this isn't the same boy he chose a connection to._

"Sure, Jiminy," the illusion of Pinocchio told the cricket. "And I've been a good boy, I promise. I didn't tell a single lie."

Pinocchio looked down in surprise as his nose extended in a flash of light.

"Uh-oh!" the wooden boy exclaimed.

"Oh, we're back to this shit?" Vanitas muttered, which his friends, minus Jiminy, heard.

"Well, for Pete's sake!" Jiminy exclaimed, angrily.

"Oops!" Pinocchio exclaimed, embarrassed. "But... how did YOU end up inside Monstro, anyway?"

"We, uh, sort of used a special way," Sora tried to explain without giving too much away.

"It's so special, we don't even know how we did it!" Goofy added on.

"I know," Vanitas jokingly said, raising a hand to add comedic affect. "But it's too complicated to explain."

"That's too bad," Pinocchio said. "I was hoping you could help me and Father get out of here."

"Well, I'll be!" Jiminy exclaimed. "Geppetto's here, too?"

"Sure he is," Pinocchio told them. "Follow me!"

Pinocchio turned around and started leading them through the whale.

As the area changed into the simple rooms that Sora and Vanitas had to fight their way through, Vanitas saw visions of Riku fighting through his own version of the giant whale. He was pleased to see that the silver haired boy was getting better at controlling his personal darkness, and not giving into the big capital "D" Darkness. He was figuring out a level of balance he had ever seen before, that more people needed to figure out if they were really to keep the balance between Light and Darkness.

Eventually the rooms changed into the giant mouth of the whale complete with the giant wooden boat that served as Geppetto's temporary home while he was in the whale. They walked to the edge of the back of the mouth before it became saliva, and looked up onto the ship. Jiminy jumped up onto Sora's shoulder to get a better look.

"Geppetto!" the cricket announced.

The old clockmaker walked to the edge of the boat and regarded the boys.

"Bless my soul," he said. "It's Jiminy Cricket. How in the world did you get here?"

"You tell me!" Jiminy remarked. "How does a clockmaker wind up in the belly of a whale?"

"Well, it's a long story," Geppetto said.

The boys climbed onto the boat where Geppetto explained that he went to sea looking for Pinocchio, and ended up being swallowed by the whale. Even though Vanitas knew that the old man was just an illusion, he had to praise how much that he knew about the real version of him.

"So you sailed out to look for Pinocchio," Donald started the summarization.

"And Monstro swallowed you!" Goofy finished.

"Yes, but I found my son," Geppetto told them. "I would do anything for my Pinocchio."

"But now you can't get out, can you?" Sora asked. "Being stuck in the belly of a whale is awful."

"People make sacrifices for the people they care about," Vanitas told him.

"He's right," Geppetto said. "It isn't as bad as long as Pinocchio and I are together. That makes everything a little bit better. There's nothing better than being reunited with someone you care about."

"Yeah," Vanitas said in thought.

"We know what you mean," Sora continued.

"I don't care if I'm trapped here, so long as I have Pinocchio," Geppetto continued. "He's such a good boy."

"Well, he still tells fibs," Jiminy lamented. "But with a little help from me..."

"Oh, Jiminy, you worry too much," Geppetto said.

"Yeah, everybody lies," Vanitas added.

"Some more than others," Donald laughed at Vanitas.

Vanitas gave the duck the finger as Sora turned towards the back of the mouth.

"Speaking of Pinocchio," Sora said, at which the others turned towards the back. "Where is he?"

"He was here a minute ago," Donald said, looking around. "Where's he gone this time?"

"I expect he's off exploring," Gepetto said. "That boy has been poking around just about everywhere inside this monster. He won't tell me why it's so important. I tell him it's dangerous, but he won't listen."

"That boy's a handful!" Jiminy exclaimed. "Sora, V, if you don't mind..."

"I know, I know," Sora said.

"You want us to help you find him, right?" Vanitas asked.

"C'mon guys, let's get going!" Sora told Donald and Goofy.

They made their way back through the rooms, eventually reaching the usual door with a glowing crown on it. They walked through the door, just as Vanitas had a vision of RIku doing the same thing.

The four found themselves inside the portion of the whale that Vanitas remembered they had fought the giant Heartless the last time. Suspecting something similar was going to happen, Vanitas kept ready as they found the wooden boy standing on the platform.

"Oh!" Pinocchio called out, seeing the four.

They ran up to him and stopped in front of him. Jiminy jumped out from Sora's jacket and looked up at Pinocchio.

"Pinocchio!" Jiminy reprimanded him, making Vanitas roll his eyes. "What are you thinking!? You know Geppetto worries when you wander off by yourself."

"Jiminy was worried, too!" Donald added.

"Boys will be boys," Vanitas commented. "I was a lot worse than him when I was his age."

"Why am I not surprised?" Sora asked.

"I'm sorry," Pinocchio said.

"What are you doing, anyway?" Sora asked. "Looking for something?"

"Um," Pinocchio said, uncertainly. "Yeah, I'm looking for treasure."

Pinocchio looked in surprise as his nose grew in a flash of light once again.

"Here we go again!" Jiminy complained.

"But, Jiminy," Pinocchio tried defending himself.

"Now don't be so hard on the little fella, Jiminy," Goofy said.

"Yeah," Vanitas agreed. "He's just being a normal kid."

"Exactly," Goofy agreed, turning to look at Pinocchio. "We promise not to get mad, Pinocchio. Is that why you're afraid to tell? No need to fret. Tell us the truth; we'll understand. Put yer trust in Goofy and V!"

"Yeah!" Vanitas said, putting his arm around Goofy's shoulders in a man hug, which the dog returned.

Pinocchio looked down in thought before looking at the taller people.

"I was looking for a way out," he admitted. "Father says he's happy, but it's my fault we're stuck here. I shouldn't have run away from home. I want to help Father get back to the workshop. But he'll worry if I tell him what I'm doing."

"So that's why you thought you had to tell a lie," Jiminy summarized.

"You did it 'cause you love your dad!" Goofy further elaborated.

"All you need now is courage!" Donald added.

"What?" Pinocchio asked.

"Tell Geppetto the truth," Donald explained. "With a little courage, you can do it! If you tell him how you really feel, I bet he'll help you find a way out."

"And we'll give you a hand!" Sora added.

"I'll get the whale killer!" Vanitas offered.

"Do you have anything that can kill a whale?" Goofy asked.

"I think," Vanitas said. "There's the giant-ass rocket launcher that needs both hands to lift, but that might kill us, too."

"Maybe not that," Pinocchio said. "But you'll really help us? Okay, I'll give it a try. Wish me luck, Jiminy!"

"No more keeping secrets, then," Jiminy told the boy. "Have we got a deal?"

"Sure!" Pinocchio promised. "I'll be brave and tell Father how I really feel. No lies this time!"

 _Seriously, every kid lies_ , Vanitas thought.

"Great!" Jiminy said. "Then your nose won't-"

He was interrupted when a loud crash originated from somewhere, causing the room to shake for a few seconds.

"What's happening!?" Sora worriedly called out as he and the others looked around.

"Heartless!" Vanitas answered as he pulled out his fitted AK-47 and cocked it.

"I got a bad feeling about this!" Donald announced.

"Pinocchio, run for it!" Jiminy told the wooden boy, jumping up and down.

Pinocchio complied and ran towards the exit, but stopped and looked up to see the Parasite Cage falling towards him. Vanitas shot at the Heartless, but it still swallowed Pinocchio into the larger mouth.

"Pinocchio!" Sora exclaimed.

"Help!" the wooden boy yelled as he tried pushing against the mouth's teeth. "I'm trapped."

"What!?" Sora yelled.

Light flared, and he and Vanitas were standing on two platforms above the stomach acid, facing the giant Heartless.

Like Jafar, the fight wasn't particularly spectacular. Sora and Vanitas dodged the Heartless' attacks while also trying to stay out of the stomach acid while attacking the Cage with their own attacks, while Riku fought his own rendition of the Parasite Cage with his own attacks in the basement. The fight was over for both groups pretty quickly, and they were rewarded with Parasite-Cage enemy cards.

Light flared, and they were back on the original platform facing the downed Parasite Cage, with Pinocchio still in the lower mouth.

"Help me!" Pinocchio called out. "I'm scared!"

"Pinocchio, be brave!" Sora yelled to the boy.

"How?" Pinocchio asked, generally curious.

"Don't give up!" Sora yelled. "Try fighting your way out!"

"Kick his fucking ass!" Vanitas added.

"Be brave," they heard Pinocchio mutter. "Okay, I'll try!"

He jumped up and down inside the cage, slamming hard onto the bottom of it's mouth, making it shake around. The mouth opened, and the wooden boy jumped out and ran away, just as the Heartless turned into light and disappeared, expelling a crystal-looking heart.

Jiminy ran towards the downed Pinocchio.

"Pinocchio, are you all right?" he asked.

"Don't worry, I'm okay," Pinocchio assured the cricket. "Just a little sticky..."

"Well, you _were_ in a mouth," Vanitas reminded him, causing his friends to exclaim in disgust as Pinocchio stood up.

"But I have a great idea!" Pinocchio announced. "That thing spit me out when I started fighting back. Why don't we try the same thing with Monstro?"

"Of course!" Sora said. "If we're lucky, Monstro might cough us up!"

"And I won't have to deal with a bunch of pissed off Whale supporters!" Vanitas added.

"It's the perfect plan!" Donald remarked, looking at the two lookalikes. "Let's go deeper inside and try it!"

"I'm going, too!" Pinocchio announced.

"No," Jiminy interjected. "It's too dangerous."

"Aww, c'mon," Pinocchio whined.

"You should be with Geppetto," Jiminy told him. "No use escaping from Monstro if you two get separated again!"

"Leave this to us," Sora assured the wooden boy.

"We're pretty good at kicking ass," Vanitas added, placing his rifle on his shoulder.

"I guess you're right," Pinocchio lamented. "Be careful, everybody!"

The group turned towards the exit and started running towards it.

They made their way to another important room that took them to the specific part of the whale they were looking for.

"Looks like this is as far as we go," Goofy concluded, looking around.

"Ready, then?" Sora asked. "Let's shake things up!"

"It would be easier if we had someone to fight," Donald lamented.

"Be careful what you wish for," Vanitas commented, looking over the duck's shoulder.

"What he said," Sora agreed. "Looks like we've got company!"

Shadows popped up, quickly surrounding the four as they brought out their weapons, including Vanitas' sledgehammer. Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas were quickly taking out Shadows one by one. Sora used many sleights during the fight, including the one where the four of them used Goofy as a battering ram, while Vanitas simply smashed them into the ground with his hammer. Once all of them were defeated, Sora was rewarded with a summon card for an elephant named Dumbo.

"Whew," Sora said, relieved.

The entire place shook, causing Goofy to go "A-hyuck!?"

"That didn't feel pleasant!" Vanitas remarked.

"It's working!" Jiminy announced from the floor. "Monstro's gonna sneeze!"

The entire place started shaking around, and the group was picked up by winds, right through the dark, circular hole at the top of the chamber.

* * *

Sora woke up in the back of Monstro's mouth as Donald, Vanitas, and Goofy stared at where the boat used to be.

"Ow," Sora said. "Now I know what getting shot out of a cannon feels like."

"Actually, I have been shot out of a cannon before," Vanitas told him. "It isn't as pleasant as that."

"Okay, we'll get into _that_ later," Donald remarked.

"Yeah," Goofy agreed. "Where are Pinocchio and his dad?"

"They're gone," Jiminy announced. "They must've gotten out safely."

They turned to look at Sora, who was walking towards them.

"Without you, Jiminy?" Sora asked. "I thought there was no escaping your conscience!"

"I don't mind being left behind," Jiminy admitted. "As long as they're both safe." He looked down. "Maybe Pinocchio doesn't need me after all."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"That little puppet used to have trouble telling right from wrong," Jiminy explained. "But he's come a long way. Maybe he doesn't need Jiminy Cricket anymore." He turned and looked at the closed teeth of the whale. "Seems like he's got a conscience of his very own."

"Don't you remember what Geppetto said?" Sora asked Jiminy, walking up next to him. He put his hands on the back of his head. "'There's nothing better than being reunited with someone you care about.' I bet Pinocchio's counting the days till he can see you again."

Jiminy jumped up onto Sora's shoulder again.

"Well, what do you know?" he asked. "You might be right."

Donald and Goofy nodded their heads in agreement.

"Guys, these were illusions," Vanitas reminded their friends. "They were really convincing and looked like people, but they were just physical renditions of the memories of our old friends. They weren't really here."

"Oh," Sora said, embarrassed. "That's right."

"Sorry to break it for you guys," Vanitas said. "But that's just how it is in here. We have to remember what's reality and what's an illusion."

"Right," Sora said, nodding his head. "Let's get going."

As they made it to the exit hallway, Vanitas had another vision of Lexaeus and Zexion. They were discussing the current actions of Marluxia and Larxene. That gave Vanitas the name of the guy who led them there, Marluxia. He and Larxene were making someone who's name he didn't get to make Sora into a puppet for him. And Vexen was making a replica for something. And based off of the experiments that the man did back when they were apprentices to Ansem, Vanitas was wary that it would be a good replica. The vision ended, and Vanitas continued walking with his friends to the exit hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I might be able to do Earth 616


	11. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanitas decided to not make the same mistakes of the past, even if he doesn't remember making those mistakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm adjusting things a bit for the exit hall for this floor. But Vanitas' powers won't always show him everything helpful, so expect that

As they entered the exit hall, Vanitas knew in his gut that if he kept quiet about the stuff he's been seeing lately in his visions, then he'd eventually regret it. So, he stopped halfway through the hallway, and looked at his friends. They looked back towards the ravenette.

"What is it, V?" Sora asked.

"I've been having a lot more visions lately," Vanitas told them.

"About what?" Donald asked.

"Riku and Mickey," Vanitas answered.

That got their attentions.

"Something helped Riku get into a different part of the castle," Vanitas explained. "And he's fighting through with Mickey's help to try to escape. But at the same time, Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo, now going by Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion, are trying to figure out how to deal with him. Vexen seems to be trying to do some kind of experiment on him. And based on how his experiments went back when we were Ansem's apprentices, it won't be good."

"Where are they?" Sora asked. "How do we find them?"

"I don't have an answer for either of those," Vanitas admitted. "But..."

Vanitas placed his hand to his head, and tried as hard as he could to take control of his powers. He put as much effort into it to try to make the telekinesis work, to the point where blood started running out of his nose. Even though he wasn't supposed to feel pain, he gritted his teeth and groaned as he felt an intense, stabbing feeling in both his eyeballs, and on both sides of his head. He groaned, and took his head off when the pain got unbearable.

"I can't figure it out," he struggled to get out.

"Are you okay?" Sora worriedly asked, as Donald gave the ravenette a rag for the blood.

Vanitas took the rag and wiped off his face, thanking the duck.

"That's why I haven't tried to intentionally tap into my powers for the last decade," Vanitas admitted. "I won't be able to figure out where Riku and Mickey are. We'll have to just keep moving up."

"There's nothing we can do to help them?" Goofy worriedly asked.

"I've been seeing them fighting bad guys in my visions," Vanitas told them. "If there's anyone who can take on the Darkness and the Organization, it'll be those two. We can at least help out by taking on the members up here."

"Yeah," Sora said. "It's like we're two ways. They get the three you mentioned, and we get the rest."

"I count six here total," Vanitas said. "We can take them."

"Yeah!" Donald exclaimed. "Now let's get moving!"

They walked up the stairs to the entrance hallway for the next floor. Sora admitted to not having any new memories about the girl he mentioned, but they figured he'd remember more once they reached the next floor. But before they walked up to the indoor porch, Vanitas realized something else.

"I remember where I've seen Axel!" he announced.

"Where?" Donald asked as the three looked towards the ravenette, a little surprised by his sudden announcement.

"When I was an apprentice for Ansem," Vanitas explained. "One of our duties was 'escorting' out troubling kids that didn't have any business being there in the first place. Axel and that Saix dude just turned out to be two of those troubling kids."

"Well, what do you know?" Goofy asked. "Along with your old former Apprentices, it's a whole family reunion."

"Except," Vanitas said. "I remember that back then, their names were Lea and Isa."

"Lea and Isa," Sora said. "Now being Axel and Saix? And your friends were named Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo, but are now named Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion?"

"Yeah, I figured it out, too," Vanitas said. "The members of this Organization have their names anagrammed, with the letter X added in."

"I wonder why that is," Donald remarked.

"We'll figure it out," Sora said, raising the next world card. "Once we catch up with Axel and them."

"I'm a little excited for this one," Vanitas admitted.

He all but ran up to the indoor porch to the double doors, excited, as he and his friends prepared for the next world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going for it


	12. 6th Floor: Earth 616

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes through a new rendition of an unintentional adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First bit of fanfiction in this series where I don't need to use references from the movies or game

The four walked through the light filled doorway into a partly destroyed section of a giant city. Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked around, amazed and surprised at the destruction, while Vanitas looked in remembrance.

"Gawrsh," Goofy said. "This city's had some damage done to it."

"What do you think caused all of this?" Donald asked.

A laser blast hitting the ground near his feet answered the question for him. In retaliation, Vanitas pulled out his Ak-47 and pointed it towards where the blast came from. Vanitas recognized the Chitari mixed in with Heartless. The aliens and the Heartless quickly surrounded the four, who summoned their weapons, ready.

"The Heartless, I recognize," Goofy announced. "But what are these things?"

He gestured to the aliens.

"Chitari," Vanitas answered.

"We're back in New York!" Sora realized.

"Good!" Vanitas exclaimed. "I missed kicking these guys' asses!"

Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas were facing off against Shadows, Soldiers, and Chitari soldiers. Sora used an enemy card to give himself an extended combo while Vanitas smacked the butt of his rifle into the face of one Chitari. Sora started an extended combo and took out a Shadow, then used the sleight Freeze Raid to cause severe damage to a soldier and a Chitari. Vanitas stabbed the knife into the chest of another Chitari, then shot the one he engages before. Sora's next combo was broken by a Chitari soldier swung its staff at his head. He dodge rolled out of the way, then used the sleight Sonic Blade to take out that Chitari, and multiple Shadows.

As he started on the Soldiers, new Heartless popped up. These were designed like Chitari, but had visible yellow eyes and claws instead of fingers. Vanitas dodged one of these new Heartless' attacks, and grabbed it by the wrist. He forced it onto the ground, and curb stomped its head, destroying it. Vanitas then moved his head out of the way of one Chitari jabbing its staff, and grabbed it from over his shoulder. He pulled the staff and the Chitari over his soldier and forced them onto the ground. He forced the staff out of its hands, and jabbed it into the aliens face, killing it.

Sora, meanwhile, and summoned Donald to blast Chitari with lightning. He then used a sleight with Goofy that knocked one Chitari like Heartless into the air, then made it slam into the ground, hard. He used Sonic Blade one more time to take out a couple of more Chitari, then faced Vanitas. His raven haired lookalike was throwing a Chitari like Heartless towards him, which he slashed through using the sleight Blitz. And the reward they got for all this was a room card that let them trade to Moogles.

Light flared, and the four of them were suddenly surrounded by Chitari once again. Sora raised his Keyblade to block an attack from a Chitari pole, and Goofy slashed through a Chitari like Heartless with his shield.

"There's no end to them!" Donald exclaimed, whacking one Chitari in the face with his staff.

"Damn!" Vanitas exclaimed, emptying his rifle into two Chitari and three Heartless. "This is why there were so many more of us back on actual Earth 616!"

Sora was knocked to the ground by a second Chitari, and the two raised their staffs to kill him. But then they were both blown up right in front of the boy. Lightning then blasted down and took out both Chitari and Heartless alike. Then a shield flew out of nowhere and knocked two Chitari in their heads, knocking them to the ground.

The four looked from the downed aliens and Heartless to where the shield was caught. There, they saw Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor looking at them, curiously.

"We would have jumped in sooner," Iron Man said. "But it looked like you could handle things."

"Yeah, fighting Heartless is sort of our jobs," Sora said, standing up and brushing off his jacket.

"Heartless?" Captain America asked.

"The black creatures with yellow eyes," Vanitas explained. "They steal the hearts of people."

"It looks like they've teamed up with the Chitari to conquer this world," Thor theorized.

"Maybe we can team up to stop them both, together," Vanitas suggested, fighting to contain his excitement at working with them again.

"It wouldn't hurt to have some extra backup," Captain America told the other two.

"I guess you've got a point," Iron Man told the Captain. He looked at Vanitas and pointed at him. "You've got a deal, Scarface."

"Still not funny," Vanitas muttered before holding out his hand. "I'm Vanitas." He gestured to his friends. "This is Sora, Donald, and Goofy."

"Tony Stark," Iron Man said. "People call me Iron Man." He gestured to Captain America and Thor. "This is the Old Man and Point Break."

"Steve Rogers and Thor," Captain America corrected him. "People call me Captain America."

"Pleased to meet ya," Goofy said, shaking Thor's hand.

"Likewise, sir Goofy," Thor said, shaking the dog's hand.

"Let's get going," Captain America said. "We've got friends on the bridge that we have to help."

"We're right behind you," Vanitas said, raising his rifle.

Vanitas had to fight himself to contain his excitement as they walked down the road.

As they made their way through the rooms designed like the battle worn New York, Sora discovered that the three they met were grouped into Avengers' Friend Cards. Using one called on one of them, using two called on two of them for two separate attacks, and using three started a team attack with two of them. Iron Man would shoot a laser from his gauntlets into Captain America's shield, which he turned to cut up enemies. Thor would slam his hammer into said shield and cause a massive shock wave, taking out many enemies. Thor would zap Iron Man with lightning, which let him to gigantic, powerful lasers into the enemies, cutting them up.

Eventually they reached an impasse in the road, where Goofy decided to finally ask a pertinent question.

"What exactly's going on here?" he asked the Avengers.

"My brother, Loki," Thor explained. "He's teamed up with the Chitari, who will win him the Earth. And in exchange, he will give them the Tesseract, a powerful beacon of energy that was used to make weapons of mass destruction here."

"Once we beat Loki," Captain America told them. "The Tesseract will go back to where it belongs: out of our reach."

"So where are Loki and the Tesseract?" Donald asked.

Iron Man pointed down a road, and the four followed his pointed finger to a specific building.

"Up there," he told them.

They could see Stark Tower in the distance with a blue beam shooting up high into the sky, keeping the portal open.

"He's used the Tesseract to open the portal," Iron Man explained. "And he's using my tower's energy to keep it open."

"Man, you've gotta be _pissed_ about that," Vanitas commented.

"You have no idea," Iron Man commented.

An explosion from down the road ended their conversation quickly.

"That's Romanoff, Barton, and Banner's position," Captain America said.

"We gotta go help them," Sora said.

"Let's go," Vanitas said.

They made their way through a few more rooms before they entered one with a glowing crown on the door. They ran onto the bridge where they saw the red headed Natasha Romanoff, the archer Clint Barton, and the large, green, muscled Hulk finishing off the remaining Chitari on the bridge. The seven ran up to the three just as they finished off the last of the Chitari and Heartless.

"Hey, boys," Natasha called out to the approaching Avengers. "You're a little late to the party. Who are these guys?"

Introductions were made between the remaining Avengers and Sora and his friends. They explained that they were there to help against Loki and the Chitari.

"I'm a little apprehensive about putting my trust in some kids and talking animals," Clint admitted. "But this has been a really weird day, so I'm in."

A large metallic groaning sound drew their attentions to the sky where the portal was.

"I remember that," Vanitas commented, loading a new magazine into his rifle.

Two Leviathans flew out of the portal and towards the bridge.

"Looks like Loki's bringing out the big guns," Iron Man commented.

"Hulk smash giant flying beasts!" Hulk bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"This won't be easy," Sora commented.

"Let's get 'em!" Donald exclaimed.

"I like your style, duck," Natasha said, pulling out her handguns.

Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas stood in the middle of the bridge, with the Leviathans flying around above the two on either side. Sora started by using the enemy card to give him an extended combo, and ran towards one Leviathan once it got close enough. He jumped up and did an aerial combo at the head, while Vanitas fired his rifle at the other Leviathan's head. Once he landed back on the ground, Sora managed to collect two Avengers cards and used them immediately. First Iron Man appeared and shot rockets at one Leviathan. Then Clint appeared and fired a trick arrow at the other Leviathan, causing an explosion in its mouth.

Once Vanitas' rifle went empty, he tucked it back into his sling, and rummaged both hands frantically into the weapon bag.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked, dodging the attack of a charging Leviathan.

"Bringing out the big boy," Vanitas answered.

With visible strain, Vanitas pulled a gigantic rocket launcher from his sling. He rested it on his shoulder and aimed it at the head of one Leviathan. Using both hands, he shot the massive launcher at one Leviathan's head, severely damaging it. The Leviathan fell to the ground on the bridge, and Sora used another Avengers card to make Hulk appear. Hulk jumped onto the Leviathan head and smashed his massive fists into it until the Leviathan rattled dead.

Hulk disappeared, and the two breathed out in relieve at being halfway done, before another Leviathan flew out of the portal and started attacking. Sora continued attacking his original Leviathan with another extended aerial combo, before Vanitas joined in by throwing his axe at its head. The axe embedded itself in one of its eyes, causing damage. Vanitas lunged at the giant alien and caught onto his axe. He pulled it out and was about to drive the axe into another eye, before the Leviathan shook him off and back onto the bridge.

Sora used Blizzard Raid to attack the damaged Leviathan, then used Cure to heal Vanitas. He pushed himself up, and held up his axe. When the Leviathan came around to attack him again, he didn't hesitate to drive his weapon into its other eye. He held on as the Leviathan pushed him back as it fell to the ground, dead. Eventually the Leviathan stopped, and he was breathing heavily as he pulled his axe out of its eye.

Vanitas looked over the dead Leviathan to see Thor zapping lightning at one of the two remaining Leviathans before hitting the other in the face with his hammer. He disappeared and was replaced by Captain America, who threw his shield at one of the Leviathan's heads, hitting one of its eyes.

One of the Leviathans flew near Vanitas, and he raised his hand, not expecting it to work. Instead, the Leviathan froze in place. He held out his other hand, and had to fight to keep it in place. With visible strain, Vanitas made the Leviathan fall face first into the ground, smashing up the face and killing it.

Sora had meanwhile made Donald appear, who threw up lightning at the remaining Leviathan. It fell to the ground, stunned, Sora used the sleight Sonic Blade to attack it many times. Vanitas walked up with his SPAS 12 and shot many blasts at the Leviathan's head. Before it could get up, Sora used three Avengers cards to make Iron Man and Clint show up. Clint held a trick arrow in his bow, and Iron Man attached a stronger bomb to the tip. Clint fired the arrow into the Leviathan's mouth, which caused a massive explosion, killing it. With the final Leviathan dead, Sora was presented with a Leviathan enemy card, which he put away for later use.

Light flared, and the ten heroes were standing on the bridge with four dead Leviathans around them.

"We make a pretty good team," Sora commented.

"That we do," Captain America agreed. "Welcome to the Avengers, guys."

"Before we do the swearing in ceremony," Iron Man said. "We should get up there and stop Loki."

"Stark's right," Natasha said. "The longer the portal stays open, the longer the Chitari will destroy the city."

"How are we supposed to close the portal?" Captain America asked.

"Erik Selvig was able to give us a few cliff notes," Clint explained. "We can use the scepter Loki has to take the Tesseract out of the frame. That'll close the portal and disrupt the link to the Chitari mothership, shutting them down."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Vanitas asked. "Let's go stop this motherfucker."

The others nodded in agreement, and the ten of them started running down the road.

As Sora and Vanitas ran through the remaining special rooms, Vanitas finally had a vision of Riku fighting through his own Castle Oblivion altered Earth 616. He took out Chitari, Heartless, and Leviathans alike with the help of his dark mode and Mickey. Vanitas had to praise the boy for casually going through a place like this he had never been before.

The two of them eventually made it to the specific final door, and walked in through the light. Once the light faded, they were with the rest of their allies in the living area of Stark Tower, where a bar was nearby next to a bunch of monitors.

"Nice place," Vanitas commented, looking at Iron Man. "You did a nice job designing this place."

"Thanks," Iron Man said. "It's a shame it probably won't survive this unscathed."

"You're right about that," a voice that was a mixture of ornate and creepy.

The ten looked up onto the railway above them to see Loki standing there ready for battle, with his horned helmet on and everything. He held his scepter in his right hand as he looked down at them.

"It's not too late, Loki," Thor said, pointing his hammer at his brother. "Stand down and disarm the Tesseract, and Father will go easy on you."

"You say it's not too late and we can go back like nothing happened," Loki simply said. "That's where you're wrong, brother. The battle will not end so easily. The war will continue, and many will die."

He pointed his scepter at them.

"Starting with you," Loki added, shooting a blue beam out of his scepter.

The ten scattered and got into battle stances. Loki floated down from the railway, and faced the Avengers with his staff. Light flared, and it was just Sora and Vanitas standing against Loki, Sora with his Keyblade and Vanitas with his machete.

Sora used the enemy card to give himself an extended combo, just as Loki used an enemy card to increase his ice attacks. Loki shot ice out of his scepter at Sora, who dodged it, while Vanitas charged the god of mischief with his machete. He slashed his machete at Loki's head, who ducked it. Loki and Vanitas then slashed their respective weapons at each other, intercepting each others attacks. Which gave Sora the chance to use Fire Raid to attack and damage Loki. Loki then hit Vanitas in the face with his scepter, then blasted ice at Sora again.

Sora attacked Loki with an extended combo which was stopped before the final attack with Loki and a 0 card. Immediately after Loki finished that attack, Vanitas blasted the god in the face with a large amount of fire. Sora then had Hulk appear, who grabbed Loki by the legs. He swung Loki around, hitting him multiple times into the ground so hard he broke apart the floor. He ended it by throwing Loki into the floor before he disappeared.

Loki grimaced before he stood up and used three magic cards in a sleight. Ice appeared at the end of his scepter, and he rose up from the ground. The two ran in a wide arc around Loki as he launched large ice projectiles at the heroes. After they dodged enough of the projectiles, Loki floated down to the ground, and the energy around him faded.

Sora then rushed in and used Blitz to strongly attack Loki three times. Once that was over, Loki slashed his scepter multiple times at Sora. Sora dodged each attack, and Vanitas jumped up and kicked Loki in the back. Vanitas slashed Loki in the back with his machete, and the god turned towards him, anger in his eyes. But before Loki could attack Vanitas, Sora attacked the man from behind with a combo. Loki turned towards him, and Vanitas punched him in the side of the head. Sora had Captain America appear with an Avenger card, and the soldier hit the god in the face with his shield. After the captain disappeared, Vanitas kicked Loki in the back. Loki raised his scepter to attack Vanitas, and Sora broke his attack with Sliding Dash, finishing the fight. Once the fight was over, Sora was presented with a Loki enemy card, which he stored away for later.

Light flared, and the ten heroes were stood over the defeated frame of Loki. His scepter was at his side, and his helmet was knocked off. There were bruises on his face, but he looked more unconscious than dead. Natasha picked up the staff, and regarded the others.

"We can use this to close the portal and shut down the remaining Chitari," she told them.

"And once they're gone, the Heartless should disappear as well," Sora affirmed them.

"That's usually what happens," Donald told them.

"Is that it?" Iron Man asked. "Man, if I knew it was that easy, I'd try it a long time ago."

"Thank you for your help," Captain America said.

"It's no problem," Vanitas affirmed. "It's our job."

"Still, thanks," Clint said. "We probably couldn't have done this without you guys."

"You really are good warriors," Thor said, patting Sora on the shoulder in friendship, possibly dislocating a few things.

"Hey, you guys are, too," Sora said.

"All of us together make quite a great team," Goofy commented.

"And here's to the work we can accomplish together in the future," Captain America said, placing his left hand out.

The others got the message, and one by one, placed their hands on top of the Captain's, with Donald climbing up onto Goofy's shoulder to reach. Hulk even joined in and placed his massive hand on top of everyone else's.

"Avengers..." Captain America started to say.

Then the broken floor gave out under Vanitas' feet, as he was standing on the part most broken by Hulk smashing Loki into it. He screamed as he fell down the floor, and the others looked on surprised.

"He'll be fine," Sora assured the Avengers.

As Vanitas fell, he saw visions of Riku taking on his own illusion of Loki, but the vision ended about as quickly as it started. Knowing his visions wouldn't be as trustworthy from that point, he resolved to just find his friends. They started making their way to the exit hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how'd I do?


	13. Memories and Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora recalls memories of the girl he knew, and Vanitas remains skeptical

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teacher work day today and tomorrow, possibly the last one's I'll ever experience, so I'm getting some work done

The four walked into the exit hall and stopped halfway, almost naturally. Donald and Goofy turned to look at Sora with Vanitas.

"Sora, is there anything else you remember about that other girl?" Donald asked.

"Hmmm," Sora said in thought. "Just bits and pieces."

"Maybe you could try tellin' us some more stuff about her," Goofy suggested. "Who knows? It might even help ya remember other things."

"Yeah, do tell," Vanitas said, sarcastically, which Sora somehow didn't understand.

"Well, uh," Sora thought, placing one hand on his chin in thought. "She was quiet... and always drawing. When we'd go to the beach, she'd draw a picture instead of swimming. Sometimes she'd draw us, too! She was really good. I remember Riku and I fighting over who she'd draw next. But one day... she was gone, just like that. I think the grown-ups knew the reason. They might even have tried to explain some of it to me. But I was little. I probably didn't understand what was happening. I remember crying after she was gone. But... that's all. I still don't remember her name."

"Oh, I bet you'll remember it in no time!" Donald assured him.

Sora smiled at his friend in thanks.

But despite all of this, Vanitas still remained skeptical. How did he have such complex memories about some girl he never mentioned before and care so deeply about her like this? It didn't make any sense. Especially when they're supposed to expect that this place really did help with memories. As far as he could see it, amnesia was only a curse. So the only reason they were forgetting things was because something sinister was going on.

Before he could raise any of these points, Jiminy jumped out from Sora's jacket hood onto his shoulder.

"I must point out," he announced. "Sora keeps remembering things instead of forgetting them. It seems to me forgetting things may be the only way: to reach the memories buried deeper down inside each of us."

"So we should forget in order to remember?" Goofy asked.

"That sounds stupid," Vanitas commented.

"A little bit," Sora agreed, crossing his arms. "But it's like those guys said: 'Our most precious memories lie so deep in our hearts, that they're out of reach.' Especially for you, V. But all that stuff about finding being losing and losing being finding... I didn't get it at first, but maybe this is what they meant."

"Still doesn't make a lot of sense," Vanitas commented.

"Gawrsh, Sora," Goofy said. "I think I'm a little jealous of ya. How come me and Donald and V and Jiminy aren't rememberin' more of the stuff from our memories?"

"I've forgotten enough," Vanitas commented.

"Come on, Goofy!" Donald announced, jumping up and down to get his attention. "Let's get going. We've got to forget things faster."

Goofy nodded his head, and they resumed their walk to the doors. As they walked up the stairs, Vanitas finally had another vision about Axel and Larxene.

"Just as we intended," Larxene commented as white light faded from the orb between the two of them.

"We'll continue with our plan," Axel said. "Let's see how far this group will go."

He turned and prepared to leave, but Larxene stopped him.

"You had your fun on the first floor," she told him. "So this time, it's my turn."

Axel threw the card towards Larxene, who caught it with a wicked smile on her face. She walked towards Axel, the smile never leaving her face.

"I'm not going to just give it to them," she told Axel in a slightly flirty manner.

"Don't break them," Axel simply said.

"Well," Larxene said, breathily. "Do I detect a soft spot?"

She walked forwards a bit and stopped, facing away from him.

"I'm not going to break the toy," Larxene said. "I'm not dumb."

"Don't forget," Axel told her. "Sora is the key. We need him if we're going to take over the Organization."

Larxene placed her finger at Axel's lips to shut him up.

"I know you're in on it, too," Larxene told him. She lowered her hand from his face. "Keep it under your hood at least until the time is right."

She waved goodbye as the darkness surrounded her, teleporting her away. Axel smiled and looked away from where she was.

"You would have been wise to have done the same, Larxene," Axel said. "By the way... Vanitas? We know you can sense things. If you can hear me... kick that bitch's ass."

Vanitas gasped as the vision ended. He chuckled at Axel sort of being on his side. They walked up the stairs into the entrance hall for the next floor.

"So, Sora, did anything back there help ya remember your friend's name?" Goofy asked once they were halfway to the indoor porch.

"Uhh," Sora said, placing his hands on the back of his head. "Her name's the only thing I can't seem to remember."

"You gotta try!" Donald exclaimed. "Hurry up and remember it!"

Sora chuckled uneasily.

"It's not something you can turn on or off, man," Vanitas told him. "Trust me, I know."

They continued walking up the indoor porch, and used the last world card they had on the doors.


	14. 7th Floor: Halloween Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes through a new rendition of a creepy place

Using the final card on the ornate doors, the four walked through the bright light and ended up in a darker town. They walked along the pumpkin designed walls and stopped in the town square. Sora, Donald, and Goofy had been redesigned similarly to how they were the first time they had been on this world. But since the cards had no effect on Vanitas, he still looked the same.

"Gawrsh!" Goofy exclaimed. "Don't like the looks of this place. I bet it's crawlin' with ghosts!"

The four turned towards each other.

"Aw, phooey!" Donald remarked. "There's nothing to worry about. You won't be spooked if you already know what's coming! Not even real ghosts can frighten us anymore. If they take one look at us, _they'll_ be the ones to run away!"

"You really think so?" Goofy asked.

"Trust me!" Donald assured.

"Don't be so sure," Vanitas remarked. "Based on the look of this place, I'm pretty sure the people here see scarier stuff than us on a daily basis. More likely, they'll be the ones scaring us."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Donald asked. "And how come you haven't changed?"

"Remember, the cards don't affect me," Vanitas reminded the duck. "That's why I'm not a Tarman this time. Shame, though. I had plenty more jokes about going hungry trying to eat your guys' non-existent brains."

"Why do you make fun of us?" Sora asked.

"Why do you guys not let me forget the dumb stuff I've done?" Vanitas asked. "Friends josh each other. I mean, didn't you spend ten years sword fighting with Riku, beating the crap out of each other?"

"Okay, I see your point," Sora admitted, sounding as if he actually understood.

The three turned towards the town fountain with green light inside. Donald had already started walking towards it, but stopped when something jumped out and landed on the ledge, facing them.

Jack Skellington faced the four with his arms spread out.

"Welcome to Halloween Town!" he announced.

"Waaak!" Donald exclaimed, frightened, as he jumped up. "A ghost!"

He fell to the ground as Sora and Goofy summoned their weapons and stood in their battle stances.

"Wow, that was the best shriek I've heard in ages!" Jack told Donald. "If you're _that_ easy to scare, we're gonna have a great time!"

"You have no idea, Mr Skelly," Vanitas commented, walking forwards.

"Sorry, I haven't even introduced myself," Jack said, waving his hand in apology. "I'm Jack Skellington! And this is Halloween Town. People around here call me the Pumpkin King! So if you're looking for a ghoulishly good time, you've come to the right place."

"Well, we aren't!" Donald exclaimed, jumping up and down."

"Speak for yourself," Vanitas remarked.

"Too bad," Jack told the duck. "Because at the moment, we've got a bit of a problem in Halloween Town."

"What kind of problem?" Sora asked.

"As if we don't already know," Vanitas muttered to Goofy as he slipped his revolver out of its holster.

"Well..." Jack started. "Like this!"

Shadows suddenly surrounded the five.

"Gyaaa!" Sora exclaimed at the Heartless.

The five raised their weapons ready, then the light flared. Sora and Vanitas stood together facing Shadows and Wight Nights. Vanitas lifted a Shadow up by its next and shot it in its face. Sora gave himself an extended combo, which he used, then used the sleight Sonic Blade. A Night slashed at Vanitas, which he dodged. He kicked the Night in the leg, making it fall to the ground. He shot the Night twice in its exposed eye, and it was destroyed. Vanitas then casually looked up and put his revolver on his shoulder. He placed it next to his ear and shot behind himself, hitting another Night in the head and destroying it.

As the last of the Shadows were destroyed, gargoyle like Heartless and flower like Heartless popped up with some more Nights, with the flowers planted in the ground. Sora used Fire Raid and was about to use Blitz before he got blasted a couple of times by the Heartless' ranged attacks. Vanitas grabbed one flower before it shot seeds at Sora, and ripped it out of the ground. He threw the flower to back onto the ground, and stabbed it with his spear. Sora then used Blitz to attack two Nights at once, before using Cura to heal himself.

Sora then used a Goofy card and a Donald card with an attack card to make the two appear. Once again, the three used Goofy as a battering ram, and took out many Heartless. The two disappeared, leaving just a Night and a Gargoyle. Vanitas hit the Night in the face with his spear, then stabbed it in the torso, destroying it. And Sora finished off the last Gargoyle with an aerial combo. After being gifted with another Moogle room card, light flared, and the five were standing at the fountain once again.

"What's the big idea!" Donald exclaimed to Jack, jumping up and down. "Why'd you go and call the Heartless?"

"I didn't call them," Jack told them. "I just knew they were going to show up."

"That was quite some timing, though," Vanitas remarked.

"You're not wrong," Jack agreed. "But personally, I'd love to get rid of them. They actually go around attacking people, instead of just scaring them."

"Why are they here?" Sora asked.

"I was just going to ask Dr Finklestein the same question," Jack told them. "I'm heading to his laboratory right now. Follow me!"

Jack turned and started walking up the staircase next to him.

"Sora, V, what should we do?" Donald asked, turning towards the "leaders" of their group.

"I guess we'd better go," Sora said.

"Don't got much else to do," Vanitas admitted. "Besides, it might be fun."

"You and I have different definitions of 'fun'," Donald reminded him. "But I don't like this. What if he's leading us right to the Heartless?"

"Bingo!" Jack suddenly exclaimed, looking at them with a spooky face suddenly behind them. "You saw right through me!"

"Waaak!" Donald exclaimed, jumping up in fear once again.

"Ha ha ha, I'm just kidding!" Jack laughed with Vanitas. "Now let's get going."

He started going up the stairs once again to lead them.

"I like him," Vanitas laughed as he and his friends followed Jack up the stairs.

Sora and Vanitas went through the altered rooms and made from randomized cards, learning that the rooms with Moogles in them let Sora trade cards to add to his deck. Which was definitely a better system than picking them up at the randomest moments. They went through the usual important door with a glowing crown on it, and walked directly into the laboratory.

Jack walked over to the man in the wheelchair reading a ginormous book and looked towards the four.

"Allow me to introduce Dr Finklestein!" he told the four. "He's a world-famous genius!"

"Yes!" the doctor agreed, turning his chair to face them. "Maybe I'm _too_ smart. I'm afraid I've created something horrible!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Vanitas asked.

"What's that?" Donald asked the doctor.

"Well..." Finklestein started. "Have you ever stopped to think about the power of 'true memories'?"

"True memories!?" Sora asked.

"You see, my boy," Finklestein started to explain. "Our hearts are full of memories; but not all of them reflect the truth. The heart isn't a recording device. Even important memories change with time. They warp or fade, leaving us with but a shadow of what we hoped to remember."

"Could that be happening to me?" Sora asked.

"It happens to everyone," Finklestein told him. "Some memories grow ugly, and some become more beautiful. If we could recover our true memories, the world would seem completely different. So, I devised a potion from forget-me-nots that brings our true memories back."

Vanitas and his friends looked at each other in thought. If it was as effective as the doctor says, then could it help return his memories?

"Did it work?" Vanitas and Sora asked at the same time, Vanitas even more hopeful than Sora.

"Well, that's the problem," the doctor admitted, turning away from the four.

"As soon as the doctor got a whiff of the potion, Heartless started popping up!" Jack told them.

"Sounds like a failed experiment to me," Donald commented.

"Me, too," Vanitas admitted, feeling his hope diminish.

"No!" Finklestein yelled. "My research is flawless! I just need another look at the potion to find out what went wrong!"

He rolled his chair towards a nearby desk. Then he opened up his head and scratched his brain.

"Unfortunately," Finklestein said. "It's vanished."

"Maybe someone swiped it," Sora suggested.

"It must've been Sally!" Finklestein concluded. He turned his chair towards Jack. "Jack, you've got to find her and get my potion back."

"Leave it to me!" Jack told him.

"Can we tag along?" Sora asked, still a little hopeful about the potion.

"What for?" Jack asked.

"I want to know more about these 'true memories' the doctor keeps talking about," Sora explained.

 _Might be a dud_ , Vanitas thought. _But that's not gonna stop him._

"Excellent!" Jack remarked. "Then let's go find Sally!"

They turned towards the door and ran out the lab.

They wen't through more Card Formed rooms until they came across another door with a glowing crown on it. They entered it and found themselves in a graveyard facing the curly hill. An auburn haired woman stood facing her back to them. They walked directly to her.

"There you are, Sally!" Jack said once they got close enough. I thought I'd find you here."

Sally turned to face them.

"Who are your friends?" she asked Jack.

"They're interested in true memories," Jack explained. "You have the potion, don't you?"

"Well... yes," Sally admitted.

She pulled out a large beaker filled with green liquid.

"What is that, Shamrock Shake?" Vanitas muttered.

"Could you give it back?" Jack asked.

"I guess so, if you insist," Sally said. "But... I'm afraid. All the Doctor did was smell it, and the Heartless appeared. What if someone drinks it?"

"Are you kidding?" Jack asked. "What could be more exciting?"

"Brother, you and I have different definitions of 'exciting'," Vanitas commented.

"As you and I have different definitions of 'fun'," Sora told him.

"I'm worried, Jack," Sally told him. "Isn't there another option?"

"Any ideas, Jack?" Sora asked the skeleton.

"I can't think of a thing," Jack admitted.

"I can!" a voice announced from somewhere. "Give it here!"

"Oy, this guy," Vanitas said, annoyed, as his friends got in fighting stances.

Oogie Boogie landed behind Sally and pushed her aside, taking the potion from her hands. Sally fell to the ground.

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "The potion!"

The five turned towards the living sack of bugs with their weapons drawn.

"Oogie!" Jack exclaimed, pointing at him. "You again!"

"Jack, where are your manners?" Oogie asked. "I'm just helping you put the potion to good use! You should thank me!"

"Well, well," he continued. "Just one sniff, and the Heartless appeared. What would happen if I chugged the whole thing? _That_ would be scary! Poor Jack, you can't hold a candle to Oogie Boogie. Time for Halloween Town to taste pain and despair beyond any nightmare!"

"Pain and despair?" Jack asked. "Oogie, you monster!"

Oogie turned around and started running out of the cemetery.

"C'mon, Jack!" Sora announced. "We've gotta go after him!"

They started running after Oogie. As they did, Vanitas saw bits of Riku fighting the Guard Armor in his rendition of Traverse Town. But the vision ended about as quickly as it began.

Sora and Vanitas went through the Card Rooms until they reached the door with the glowing crown on it. They ran into Oogie's base through a dark door and ran onto the floor of an elaborate trap system that Vanitas sort of remembered from the last time they were there. Except it was now one large square chamber that they were in, and the platform Oogie stood on wasn't that high up. Bars came up behind them, blocking them from being able to leave.

"Oogie!" Jack yelled. "Hand over the potion!"

"You fools don't know when to quit!" Oogie remarked, turning to face them. "Say...all this running around is making me thirsty!"

"Oogie!" Jack exclaimed. "No!"

"Yes!" Oogie countered.

Oogie pulled the beaker out and ripped the cork off with his mouth. He opened wide and poured the contents inside, then tossed the beaker to the side.

"Oh, no," Sora muttered.

"Aw, fuck," Vanitas muttered as he held his machete.

"Ahh!" Oogie breathed out. "Lip smacking good!"

"Agh!" Oogie suddenly lurched forwards. "What's this?"

"What..." he said as he started shaking around. "Something's wrong! Something deep inside me. Something... scary!"

"Oogie!" Jack called out. "What's going on?"

"No!" Oogie exclaimed, raising his hands in fear. "Get back! Stay away from me!"

"You think he remembers how we creamed his real form back on actual Halloween Town?" Vanitas muttered to Goofy.

Before the dog could answer, light flared, and Sora and Vanitas stood facing a now more confident looking Oogie Boogie. Bars separated the two from Oogie, and he started an attack. But Sora broke through it with a higher numbered card, which lowered the bars a little. Oogie's attempt at an attack left three large red dice on the floor with them. Vanitas stomped on one, and the Green Mickey Head card popped out. Sora used it, lowering the bars and stunning Oogie.

Sora gave himself an extended combo, which he used three times in a row, somehow not waking up the sack. Vanitas slashed Oogie with his machete, kicked him in his stomach, and punched him in his face. Sora then used Fire Raid then jumped off the platform to re-stack his deck. Vanitas followed his example. Just in time, as Oogie had woken up and jumped up and down, causing an explosion and raising the bars.

Sora once again used higher numbered cards every time Oogie tried attacking to lower the bars a bit at a time. He managed to get a Mickey Head card, but since the bars were already down, he decided not to use it this time. Vanitas lunged at Oogie with his machete encased in fire and slashed at the living sack. Once again he kicked Oogie in his stomach and hit him in his face along with the slashes, and Sora managed to add in Blitz, before they had to get off the platform once again.

They jumped off just in time to avoid the explosion. With the bars back up, Sora didn't hesitate to use the Mickey Head card to lower the bars and stun him once again. Vanitas did plenty of attacks with his machete, and occasionally just blasting fire directly into Oogie's face, but Sora finished the battle. He used a sleight known as Lethal Frame to freeze Oogie with stop, then perform a series of slashes with his Keyblade, defeating him. The fight over, Sora was rewarded with an Oogie Boogie enemy card that he stored away for later use.

The group went back to Finklestein's laboratory where they stared at the empty potion beaker with the doctor and Sally.

"Confound that Oogie Boogie!" the doctor exclaimed. "He drank nearly all of my precious potion! There are only a few drops left!"

"Sora," Goofy suddenly said. "Why don't you ask the doc if you can drink the rest?"

"No," Sora decided, crossing his arms. "I'd better not."

"What, don't you want it?" the doctor asked. "Too bad. It would have been a great experiment."

"Now, Doctor," Sally started to say.

"Don't you want to find out about your true memories?" Jack asked.

"Of course," Sora assured him. "Now more than ever. But there's this guy: Axel. I promised him I'd find the truth on my own."

"And we wouldn't want to break a promise to such a charming individual, right?" Vanitas asked.

"I just don't understand," Finklestein said. "When I inhaled the potion, Heartless appeared, and when Oogie drank it, he was overcome with fear. What could it mean?"

"It means the potion was a failure," Sally told him.

"No!" Finklestein yelled at her. "I can't be wrong! Oogie _must_ have found his true memories! Hmm... True memories must unbalance the heart... and cause unpredictable changes within!"

"Then," Sora said. "What about me? What happens when my true memories awaken?"

"Perhaps something more terrifying," the doctor suggested.

"There's a pleasant thought," Vanitas commented.

"But this is all just a hypothesis," Finklestein admitted. "I can't be sure without further research."

"How about I try something?" Vanitas asked. "How about I finish the potion? Then we'll all see what happens."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

"I've been through a lot," Vanitas admitted. "And if it really does work... you'd be doing me a big favor."

The others thought that through.

"Well, go ahead," the doctor said.

Vanitas took the vial and raised it to his lips. He poured the remaining drops of the potion inside and swallowed, thankful he couldn't taste anything, just in case. The others looked at him expectantly.

"Hey," Vanitas announced, noticing something. "I'm getting something."

"I'm getting something," he announced more confidently.

Vanitas paused when he realized what the feeling was.

"Oh," was all he said before he ran out the door. The others could hear him throwing up with the door still slightly open.

"I guess it was a dud," Donald commented.

"What's wrong, Sora?" Jack asked, noticing Sora's sad expression. "Does the doctor's theory scare you?"

"Well, yeah," Sora admitted. "A little."

"That's good to hear!" Jack announced. "Fear and doubt are signs of a strong heart. They push out your heart, strike out in new directions, take chances! Without them, your zest for life might fade... as would your taste for fear. And believe me, that would really ruin my fun."

"Thanks, Jack," Sora told him. "I'll remember that."

Vanitas then walked back inside, wiping off his mouth with a rag.

"So did it do anything?" the doctor asked.

"Not really," Vanitas admitted. "If you mean other than make me throw up, that is. I honestly didn't think I _could_ throw up anymore."

"Well, now you know," Sora commented.

"Drat!" Finklestein exclaimed, turning towards the giant book.

"Good luck, gentlemen!" Jack told the four. "May you always enjoy being frightened!"

The group turned towards the door and ran out, ignoring Vanitas' vomit. They ran through the rooms, looking for the exit hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course the potion won't restore Vanitas' memories. He won't be getting those back for a long time. Sorry


	15. The Savage Nymph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group faces off against a very rude lady

The four stood in front of the exit hall's double doors, looking around curiously. Since they had used up all six of their other world cards, they didn't know what they were supposed to do at this point. That is, until Sora exclaimed at the sight of a blonde haired woman in a black cloak.

Larxene smirked her cocky, "I'm-better-than-you" smirk at the four as they ran forwards a bit and stood in battle stances, with Vanitas pulling out his katana.

"I bet you work with Axel!" Donald exclaimed, gesturing to the woman with his staff.

"You're not wrong," Vanitas told him, remembering the words of the pyrotechnic from his vision.

"Too clever," Larxene agreed. "I'm Larxene. So... are you enjoying your stay at the castle?"

"I don't like the remodeling you pricks have done to my castle," Vanitas commented.

"I wasn't asking you, you little shit," Larxene snapped at him.

The others gasped, as they were only used to Vanitas cussing. Vanitas, himself, was also a little surprised by it, as only him and the others from Earth had done it around him so far. But Larxene's expression turned back into cocky happiness when she regarded Sora again.

"I bet it's nice to peel away all the worthless memories and awaken the true memories..." Larxene chuckled before finishing. "...that lie deep in your heart."

"True memories?" Sora asked, confused.

"Although," Larxene said, placing her right hand to her head in thought. "It seems that you're still forgetting the most important thing here." Her next words, she spoke with overdramatic sadness. "When that poor girl's learned that you've forgotten her name, why... it'll just... it'll break her heart."

That helped Vanitas figure it out. If the bad guys knew about Sora's "dilemma," then they had to be the one's behind it. After all, how else would Sora all of a sudden be remembering a girl he never even mentioned before they had arrived at the castle before. But he didn't get a chance to voice his thoughts before the boy in question asked something on his own mind.

"Poor girl?" Sora asked, getting out of his battle stance. "Do you know her!?"

Larxene just chuckled darkly at the young boy.

"Is she... here?" Sora slowly asked.

"Yes, she is," Larxene just as slowly said, looking away from Sora and waving her finger to emphasize her point. "You see, the bad guys are holding her captive somewhere deep inside the castle." She looked over her shoulder at the younger boy. "And you're obviously the hero, so you have to go save her."

"Although..." the blonde said with the wicked smile on her face.

Larxene rushed forwards, pushing Sora back a bit. She jabbed each of her arms on each side of Sora, before kicking him right in the stomach, knocking him back, and making a star shaped trinket fall from his jacket. Sora ended up flipping back and landing right on his front with his Keyblade, with the trinket falling in front of him. Larxene simply lowered her raised leg and placed her hand on her hip, looking down at the fallen boy.

" _I'm_ a bad guy, so you have to go through me!" Larxene exclaimed.

"We figured, 'cause who else would assault a minor?" Vanitas asked, as he leaned down to tend to his fallen friend.

"Sora!" Goofy called out as he and Donald looked at him with their eyes wide.

Sora raised his head enough to look at the star shaped trinket in front of him.

"What's that?" he asked. "Is that thing mine?"

Vanitas had to admit that it looked unfamiliar. It was yellow, with prominent lines in between each of the star points. How had this thing showed up?

"What a shame," Larxene said. "You've been wearing it all this time and forgot?"

She put her right hand to her mouth and her left hand on her right elbow in thought.

"No..." Larxene corrected herself. "That's not possible." She pointed to Sora. "The memory has to be engraved somewhere deep inside your heart. Sora; you think carefully, now. What, oh what could it be? And who gave it to you?"

"You gotta be shitting me," Vanitas whispered.

"Na..." Sora muttered. "Na... mi...?"

Vanitas raised an eyebrow to his younger friend. Was he messing with them?

"Sora... Sora..." Larxene told him, eagerly. "You're getting it now! Release the memory from within your heart!"

Sora grabbed his Keyblade and got onto his hands and knees.

"Nami..." he said, raising his head to the trinket. "Namine."

"Well, it's about time," Larxene said, walking up to look closer at the trinket. "That's right... Namine. Yes, she's the one that gave you that tacky, little good luck charm."

She leaned down to pick it up, to the surprised look of Sora.

"Not that you even bothered to remember," Larxene commented with a smile on her face. She added more of her overdramatic sadness to her next words. "No surprise, seeing as you also couldn't remember her _name._ Talk about heartless! I can't believe you!"

"It'd serve you right, if I decided, to smash this piece of junk!" Larxene announced, raising the good luck charm high into the air.

"Let it go!" Sora exclaimed, slashing his Keyblade into her hand, knocking the charm out of her hand and pushing her back.

Sora caught the charm with his left hand and placed it to his chest.

"Namine gave me this," Sora snapped at her. "It's very important to me!"

"Oh, boy," Vanitas sighed out.

He did find a little bit of pleasure at the sight of Larxene waving her right hand to get rid of the pain. She then looked at Sora with scorn.

"Oh, it's important to you?" she asked.

Lightning flared around the blonde woman. It went around her hands before it flashed, causing blue and yellow knives to appear in between each of her fingers.

"Ten seconds ago, you didn't even know what it was!" Larxene exclaimed, slashing her arm to the side, causing lightning to flash.

She stood in a ready-to-fight position and looked at the two.

Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas stood on the same circular platform they had faced Axel, this time facing Larxene.

Larxene immediately started by launching small lightning projectiles at Sora and Vanitas, hitting Sora. Vanitas dodged it and slashed his sword at the woman, which she caught with her left handed knives. Vanitas then rotated his sword, and launched the knives out of her hand. He laughed at her, but then groaned in pain as she stabbed her right handed knives into his right shoulder. She stepped back and moved to kick him, but he caught her left foot. Using both hands, he threw her up, launching her up into the air and onto the ground.

Before Vanitas could do anything else, Larxene vanished and reappeared behind him, kicking him in the back. He did a front flip fowards to keep the momentum from hurting him. Sora then stopped Larxene's next attack with a full extended combo, then used the sleight Sonic Blade to attack her multiple times. She then gathered three cards to try to use a sleight called Mega Volt, but Sora stopped it with a higher valued sleight, Fire Raid. But then she used a 0 card to end his attack prematurely and attack him.

As Larxene went to attack Sora again, Vanitas surprised her from behind by putting her in a headlock. She tried head-butting him into letting him to let her go, but he didn't relent. Vanitas hammer-fisted her multiple times in the stomach, then jumped up and elbowed her in the shoulder. With him still in the air from the attack, she grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder. Vanitas landed on his back on the ground, but Sora stopped Larxene's next attack with the sleight Cura. He then had to dodge Larxene's attacks before re-stacking his deck.

Vanitas then got back on his feet and caught one lightning strike with his katana. He launched it into one of the pillars, and slashed at Larxene, which she caught with her knives. She pushed him off and moved to the center to once again try her Mega Volt sleight, but Sora stopped it with a 0 card. He then used another extended combo to attack her, three more times after dodging her attacks. Vanitas then jumped up and kicked her in the chest, knocking her back a bit, and Sora used the sleight Blitz to attack her three times with his Keyblade, ending the fight, at which she uttered, "You're just a toy."

Before they were taken from the arena, Sora was given a lightning magic card which he stored away for later.

The two were brought back to the exit hallway, and Larxene launched her knives at Sora. He slashed them aside with his Keyblade, and slashed his weapon at her, which she dodged by jumping back.

"Hmph," Larxene muttered. "You're not as bad as I thought."

"Good to know, bitch," Vanitas commented.

"Piss off," Larxene told Vanitas. She looked back at Sora. "You really are a hero. A heartless hero."

"Who asked you!?" Sora exclaimed with anger that surprised even Vanitas.

"Oh, does it hurt because it's true?" Larxene asked in a voice that sounded like a mother reprimanding her unruly child. "You are just a baby." She pulled out more world cards. "And if you're gonna be a baby, then here ya go."

She tossed the cards in a slashing motion, which Sora caught.

"I created another card from your memories, you know," Larxene told him. "Be a good boy and say 'thanks'."

"No, you didn't," Vanitas told her. "It was just given to you."

"Shut the hell up," Larxene told him before darkness surrounded her, signalling the teleportation.

"Wait, Larxene!" Sora exclaimed, as he tried running forwards to stop her.

But the darkness had already faded with her. In anger, he just slashed his Keyblade though the air.

"Where are you?" Sora asked the empty air. "Don't you dare hide from he! Show yourself!"

He continued to slash through the air and looking around aggressively, to the surprise of Vanitas, Donald, and Goofy.

"Sora, calm down!" Jiminy exclaimed as he held onto Sora's hood. "She's not coming back."

He then stopped his angry slashing and leaned forwards, sadly. His friends walked up to him.

"Sora?" Goofy asked.

"What the hell was that about?" Vanitas asked.

"I hate this..." Sora admitted, looking down. "Why'd I need someone like that to bring back... Namine's memory?"

As they ran up the stairs to the next floor, Vanitas' vision wasn't as detailed as usual. All he saw was Vexen appearing with Axel and Larxene, and saying he didn't see so much trouble in worrying so much about him and Sora. Vexen insisted one of his experiments needed to happen, and Axel gave him a card to give to someone. They then looked over Vexen's shoulder to see someone that Vanitas couldn't make out wearing a kind of familiar bodysuit. But then the vision ended before he could see anything else vital.

Vanitas, Donald, and Goofy ran up the stairs after the now determined Sora into the entrance hallway of the next floor.

"Sora, not so fast!" Donald exclaimed.

Sora stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked back at them.

"We don't have time!" Sora told them. "They've got Namine. We gotta rescue her!"

He continued to run to the indoor porch as the other three stopped at the center of the room.

"Phew, Sora sure does seem like he's upset," Goofy muttered.

"You'd be, too," Donald told him. "He just remembered a friend, but found out she's in trouble! You can kind of relate to that, V."

"You're not wrong about that," Vanitas begrudgingly agreed, crossing his arms, looking at Sora gesturing to them at the bottom of the stairs to the indoor porch.

"Good point," Goofy also agreed with Donald. "I guess if we heard that the king was in danger, we would be pretty upset about that, too."

"We should be careful, though," Vanitas told them.

"About what?" Donald asked.

"We get here and he remembers someone he never mentioned before the entire time we knew him," Vanitas told them. "And then, the bad guys suddenly know about her as well? It can't be a coincidence."

"You think something might be going on?" Goofy asked.

"I don't completely know," Vanitas admitted. "But we need to keep our eyes open the next time we encounter the Organization."

They followed Sora and walked up onto the indoor porch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long, I've been getting distracted by life


	16. 8th Floor: 100 Acre Wood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Vanitas have a slight respite in a calm area

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like before, I had to do it

Sora held up the world card with a book on it up to the double doors, and he and Vanitas walked out of the light onto a pathway in a forest. They walked down the path to see Winnie the Pooh sitting on a log, staring at an unlit fireplace in front of his own house.

"What's wrong, little fella?" Sora asked him.

"Have you lost someone?" Vanitas asked, leaning down to be face to face with the bear, remembering how they had helped Pooh before.

"Yes," Pooh told the two. "I'm looking for my friends."

"Are they around here?" Sora asked, looking around curiously.

"I don't think it'd be that easy," Vanitas commented, straightening up.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "It looks like nobody's here."

"Oh," Pooh realized. "Then perhaps I'm looking for nobody."

"You're looking for nobody?" Sora asked.

"I don't think he's here," Vanitas commented, remembering the Odyssey. "He's a little busy stabbing out cyclops eyes."

"You've read the Odyssey?" Sora asked.

"I've had a lot of free time over the years," Vanitas commented. " _You've_ read it?"

"Seventh grade," Sora admitted. "It was our big book for that semester. It took me all semester."

"Whoever they are," Pooh interjected. "They don't seem to be anywhere. And all this searching is making my tummy rumble. Hmm... I wonder if there's any honey about. Oh, but if I stop to eat, I shall first have to stop searching."

"Why don't we look for your friends together?" Sora suggested.

"For Nobody, you mean?" Pooh asked.

"Let's forget about him," Vanitas commented as Sora sat next to Pooh on the long.

"For your friends," Sora corrected Pooh. "They might be around here. Let's find them together."

"Oh, are you looking for my friends, too?" Pooh asked.

"No, but we're looking for some friends of our own," Sora told him.

"And are they friends who know my friends?" Pooh asked.

"Probably not," Vanitas admitted.

Sora stood up and looked directly at Pooh.

"But we know what it's like to miss your friends," he told the bear. "So why don't we look for them together?"

"I'd like that, Sora and Vanitas," Pooh told them.

They walked near Pooh's house towards a set of five large bushes. Sora looked down, curious, to see Piglet leaning out of one of the bushes, looking at them in fear. He very quickly got back into the bush. And when Sora and Vanitas walked forwards a bit, he ran out of it and into another bush very quickly.

"Oh, yeah," Vanitas remembered. "He's scared as fuck."

They watched as Piglet ran in and out of multiple bushes before he stopped outside of one, and they were able to stop him from running into another one.

"Ooooh!" Piglet exclaimed in fear. "Oh, no! Oh, dear! Don't mind me."

"You're not Pooh's friend?" Sora asked, leaning down to look at the little guy better.

"Well, I..." Piglet started as he shook around in fear. "Um... I mean, I'm not _not_ Pooh's friend... I'm..."

Pooh walked forwards.

"Well, hello there, Piglet," Pooh told the small one.

"Oh, it's you, Pooh!" Piglet exclaimed, relieved. "I'm so relieved... I finally found someone! I got separated from the others. And I was so worried, I didn't know what to do."

"That explains why you were so fidgety," Sora commented.

"Actually, I think he's always like that," Vanitas commented.

"Piglet, why don't you come with us to look for the rest of our friends?" Pooh suggested.

"What?" Piglet asked. "Oh my, I don't know... Ohh... what should I do..."

"Guess he doesn't want to come," Sora told Pooh and Vanitas.

"He seems a little afraid," Vanitas commented.

The three of them turned and started walking away.

"Wait!" Piglet called out, stopping them. "Please!"

"Have you decided to join us, Piglet?" Pooh asked as they turned towards him again.

"Well, no," Piglet admitted. "I'm... I'm still thinking. But before you got here, I found something strange in the shrubs. I thought it might help you find everyone else."

And with that, Sora learned the sleight Confuse.

As they walked through the next part of the Woods, Vanitas had a slight vision of Riku going through his own version of the Coliseum in the basement of the Castle. He was a little relieved that the silver haired boy seemed to be all right, since he wasn't able to see too much of him in his latest visions.

His vision ended as they reached the fence leading out of Rabbit's garden. Sora and Vanitas looked up to the top of the hill to see a large pumpkin rolling down towards them.

"Watch out!" Sora exclaimed as he and Vanitas moved out of the way.

Pooh didn't get the message and was knocked back by the rolling pumpkin back inside the fence.

"That was close!" Sora exclaimed. "Are you okay, Pooh?"

"Yes," Pooh told them. "I seem to be."

"That's kind of surprising," Vanitas commented.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "Where did that pumpkin come from?"

"Yoo-hoo!" a voice called out.

They looked up to see Rabbit running down the hill towards them.

"Hello, Rabbit," Pooh announced when he got close.

"Oh, I'm glad you're here!" Rabbit told them. "Would you help me sort the vegetables from my garden?"

"So the pumpkin was yours," Sora concluded.

So they did help. When the vegetables came down the hill, Sora knocked the cabbages to the left, and the pumpkins to the right. Pooh made things difficult by running into the path, at which Vanitas had to grab him and pull him out. And once that was done, Sora would have to throw his Keyblade repeatedly at a particularly large pumpkin just to be able to sort it right. After a good, long while of doing this with many vegetables, they were done.

"Thank you for your help," Rabbit told them. "Please take this, won't you?"

And with that, Sora learned the sleight Cross-slash+.

They moved on to the Hunny Tree that Vanitas remembered from last time and found some balloons tied to a log.

"I wonder what these balloons are for," Sora commented.

"I think we're supposed to use them to fly up there," Vanitas commented.

"All right," Sora accepted pretty easily.

Sora and Pooh floated up the tree by the balloons with Vanitas climbing up the branches after them. As they floated up, they collected Honey and avoided bees trying to pop the balloons. After a good long while of floating, they reached the top where they found Owl.

"Hoo!" Owl exclaimed. "Look who made it all the way up here!"

They went back to the ground and regarded Owl.

"Are you all right, Pooh?" Owl asked, though Vanitas was sure it was supposed to be them asking that question.

"Oh, yes, Owl," Pooh told him. "I found it rather fun."

"Maybe you could use a balloon to look for your friends," Sora suggested.

"That might not be a good idea," Vanitas commented.

"He's right, young man," Owl agreed. "Serious problems arise when you arrive at your destination."

Sora was confused.

"Once you find your friends, how do you get down to them?" Owl asked. "You see, a balloon goes only where the wind blows. Which is usually up! What if you saw your friends, but the wind kept them just out of reach? I'd rather have to keep looking for my friends, than find them and not be able to reach them."

"You've got a point," Sora admitted.

"Yeah," Vanitas agreed.

"If you want to find someone, you'd best do it on foot," Owl advised. "It can be quite exciting to stumble across a friend where you least expect them!"

"Well, that is how I feel..." Pooh told Owl. "...when I stumble across some honey!"

"That's the spirit, Pooh!" Owl told him. "Keep moving and keep looking."

"Thank you, Owl," Pooh told him. "That's what I'll do. My tummy is anxious for me to find that honey."

"Don't worry, we'll help Pooh find his friends," Sora assured Owl.

"Yeah, it'll be easy," Vanitas agreed.

"Splendid!" Owl exclaimed. "Here's something to speed you on your way."

And with that, Sora knew the sleight Firaga Burst.

As they moved to the next area, Vanitas saw another vision of Riku fighting through his own version of the Coliseum. It wasn't much, but it was enough to ensure that the guy was a bit of a badass. It ended just as they reached Tigger's bouncing spot. Tigger himself jumped off of one of the very large tree trunks and regarded the three.

"Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" Tigger exclaimed. "Say, how would you like to bounce with me?"

They followed Tigger's example and jumped on all four of the large tree stumps for a good long while. Until eventually, Sora and Vanitas landed on the ground in front of Tigger, off of the stumps.

"Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" Tigger laughed once again. "Not bad at all!"

"We were just trying to bounce like you, Tigger," Pooh explained as he walked up to Tigger.

"I'm surprised you could keep up with me," Tigger commented.

"Well, we can bounce with the best of them, now!" Sora boasted, putting his arm around Vanitas' shoulders.

"Is that so?" Tigger asked. "Then let's see you do this!"

He jumped up onto the stumps and started to do some elaborate, complicated-looking bounces.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed.

"We might have some trouble doing that," Vanitas commented.

"What do you think of that?" Tigger asked, landing in front of the two.

"I could never," Sora sadly admitted, looking down. Vanitas put his hand on his friends shoulder sympathetically.

"Aww, you don't have to do it like me!" Tigger told him. "Bouncing is best when you do it your own way! 'Cause I'm Tigger, and you're Sora and V! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!"

He turned around and started jumping back towards the tree stumps.

"Tigger, I think you dropped something," Pooh announced.

"Oh, that?" Tigger asked. "I found it on top of a tree when I was bouncing. You can have it, Sora. Kind of weighs me down when I'm bouncing!"

And with that, Sora knew Idyll Romp.

They moved on to the next area where they followed tracks in the mud to a circular, cinderblock thing that looked like a well. The well was expelling air at a quick rate.

"That's an awfully blustery hole..." Sora commented.

So naturally, he jumped into the air, which pushed him even higher into the sky with Pooh and Vanitas. Then they were falling to the ground at an incredibly fast rate, dodging various obstacles that the wind was blowing in their way. After a good long while of dodging obstacles, they started to get close to the ground. They landed ungracefully in the trees and fell to the ground with Roo.

"That was fun!" Vanitas exclaimed as they walked out of the bushes. "Let's do it again!"

Sora ignored him and regarded Roo.

"Hello, Roo," Pooh said to the small marsupial. "What were you doing here?"

"I was so busy looking for Tigger, that I was blown away by the wind, and fell down here!" Roo explained.

"And you got stuck?" Pooh asked.

"No," Roo admitted. "I was waiting for Tigger so we can ride the blustery wind together! So, if Tigger rides the wind here, this is where I'll be! It sure will surprise Tigger. Don't you think?"

"But what if he doesn't fall here?" Sora asked.

"And what if he didn't feel like riding the wind?" Vanitas asked. "You're logic's kind of crumbling, kid."

"Yes," Pooh agreed. "If Tigger does ride the wind, his bounces might bounce him even further away."

"Well, I was getting a little lonely and tired of waiting for him," Roo admitted.

"Instead of waiting, why don't you see if you can find him?" Sora suggested.

"You're right!" Roo exclaimed. "That's a great idea! By the way, I found this in the shrubs. Why don't you take it?"

And with that, Sora was given a Mega-Ether item card.

After another vision of Riku, Sora and Vanitas went up the mountain side nearby to find Eeyore.

"Lost my tail again," the donkey(?) told them in a bland tone, looking over his shoulder at his backside. "It figures."

"Do you know where you lost it?" Sora asked, looking around, as Pooh walked over to a nearby tree.

"Oh yum!" Pooh called out, garnering their attentions. "I found it."

He was looking into a hole in a tree.

"I knew if I just listened to my tummy it would find some honey," Pooh announced.

"Probably upset the bees, though," Eeyore pointed out. "Taking their honey, that is."

Pooh decided to do exactly that. Sora and Vanitas had to take out their weapons and fend off the bees that attacked as they ran around, trying to throw them off. Sora fended off the bees with his own attacks that involved unique sleights, while Vanitas attacked them with his metal baseball bat. Eventually they had cleared out all the bees, but Pooh was still running and ran right into a tree, causing Eeyore's tail to fall down in front of him.

"Oh, bother..." Pooh woozily said. "My head..."

"Well, much obliged, Pooh," Eeyore told him after somehow reattaching his tail.

"I'm sure I'm obliged to you, too, Eeyore," Pooh said after he stood up. "But... um... for what?"

"For running into that tree and getting my tail back for me," Eeyore said.

"Oh, but, I was just trying to get away from those bees," Pooh admitted. "And keep up with Sora and V."

"Well anyhow, you helped me," Eeyore said, turning to face Sora and Vanitas. "Thanks."

"And I was just trying to get rid of the bees," Sora admitted. "It was an accident that we found your tail."

Vanitas covered his face with his hand, embarrassed. Who admitted to something like that?

"An accident," Eeyore repeated. "It figures. Nobody would help me on purpose. But I'm still obliged. Thank you, Pooh, V, and Sora."

"You're welcome, Eeyore," Pooh told him.

"Here's something for you," Eeyore told Sora.

"Hey, it's okay, Eeyore," Sora tried telling him. "It was just an accident."

"I know, but this fell down along with my tail," Eeyore told him. "It's the accidental part of my thank you."

"He's not gonna let up," Vanitas told Sora. "Just take it."

And with that, Sora was given an Elixer item card.

They walked with Pooh across a log and into a new area that simply had a large log to sit on. Sora and Vanitas knew this would be where they left, and turned towards Pooh.

"I guess we can't go any further," Sora started to ease into it.

They turned towards the small bear.

"So Pooh, wasn't it more fun looking for friends together?" Sora asked.

"It sure was for me," Vanitas told him.

"Oh, yes, Sora, V," Pooh told them. "It was. And I'd like you to have this. Thank you for helping me."

Sora took the Bambi Summon card and stored it away for later as Pooh turned away from them and sat on the ground.

"Whew..." Pooh sighed out. "I've walked so far, I think I need a little rest. If only I had a honey pot to keep me company..."

"Well," Sora eventually said. "V and I'd better be going."

"Where to?" Pooh asked.

"To look for our friends," Sora answered.

"Then I shall help you look for them, too," Pooh decided.

"That's okay, Pooh," Vanitas told him.

"You should stay here," Sora added.

"You mean," Pooh started. "This is goodbye?"

"No way!" Sora exclaimed. "We'll always know where to find you."

Sora then realized something.

"If I don't forget," he muttered.

"Don't worry, Sora," Pooh said, standing up. "You can count on me. Even if you forget Winnie the Pooh, I won't forget you."

"Thanks, Pooh," Sora told the bear.

"See you around, buddy," Vanitas told him.

Sora and Vanitas started to walk away. After Vanitas had a vision of Riku fighting the Hades in his version of the Coliseum, they continued their trek to the exit hallway.


	17. Fighting Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Vanitas face off against a surprising foe

Sora and Vanitas walked out of the double doors entering the exit hallway. They looked around curiously, sure there was someone else in there. Vanitas was more curious about why Donald and Goofy hadn't appeared yet after they went through the doors that closed behind them. But they both looked towards the staircase in front of them and gasped in surprise at the person walking towards them.

"You're..." Sora said. "Riku!?"

"What the fuck!?" Vanitas softly exclaimed, in equal disbelief.

Vanitas didn't understand what was going on. The last vision he had seen of Riku confirmed that the boy was still kind of deep in the castle's basement, fighting through Heartless and illusions. How was he now on the eighth floor, looking at them like he didn't like seeing them?

Sora, determined to get answers for himself, ran up to the center of the room and looked at Riku.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he asked, confused.

"Not happy to see me?" Riku asked. "Lemme know if I'm getting in the way; ya know, of something that's more important."

"Huh?" Sora asked, confused. "I didn't mean that..."

"Pretty sure that's not what he was saying at all," Vanitas commented, walking forwards with the two.

"Hmph," Riku said, looking down, scorn still on his face. "Spare the excuses. I bet that you had all but forgotten about me."

"Are you crazy?" Sora asked in disbelief. "C'mon. I came all this way looking for _you_!"

"But you're not anymore, right?" Riku asked. "Now it's only... Namine that you're looking for. You don't care about me. Just like you never cared... at all... about her feelings."

"Namine's...?" Sora started to ask.

Vanitas was curious. Didn't Riku put the whole edge-lord thing behind him after Ansem had possessed him? Why was he acting like this now?

"Hmph," Riku just said again. "I knew it. Never even gave it a thought, did you? Just cuz you want to see Namine- sorry- doesn't go both ways. Tell ya the truth..." He pointed right at Sora. "...Namine doesn't even want to look at your face."

"Why not!?" Sora exclaimed, surprised.

"You should ask your memories," Riku said, looking down then back up at Sora. "Why Namine disappeared from the islands. Remember that, and you'd know."

His words caused Sora to look down in despair.

"Did I... Did I do something?" Sora asked. "Is it my fault? Riku..."

Riku just kept staring blankly at him until darkness surrounded him. When the darkness faded, he wore a cocky smirk and his dark bodysuit.

"Take Sora home, Vanitas," Riku told him in his bland tone. "I'll care for Namine. Anyone who goes near her..."

His sword appeared in his right hand.

"...goes through me!" Riku finished, pulling back his sword.

Sora quickly summoned his Keyblade and raised it in defense against Riku's sword swing.

"What's... What's wrong with you!?" Sora exclaimed. "We're supposed to be friends!"

"Why the hell does this keep happening!?" Vanitas exclaimed, pulling his BO staff out of his sling.

"Please, Sora," Riku told the brunette. "Since when have you ever cared about me? Namine's not the only one sick of looking at you. So am I!"

Riku took his sword off of the Keyblade and backflipped away.

"We're seriously back to this shit?" Vanitas asked.

"Riku, stop it!" Sora begged his friend.

Riku just stood in his battle stance, so Sora and Vanitas followed his example.

Light flared, and they stood in the circular arena, facing each other. Sora used the enemy card to extend his combo, and he and Riku used the same number attack card, cancelling both attacks. The next time Riku tried attacking, Vanitas disrupted it with his staff, which gave Sora the opening he needed to use two extended combos. Riku then raised his sword to attack again, and Vanitas swung his staff right into his groin, following it up by twirling it, and hitting him in the cheek, knocking him back a bit.

Sora then used the Sonic Blade sleight to slide around the arena multiple times, attacking him each time. He knocked around Riku a good amount before his sleight ended, and he was back to defending. Unfortunately, Vanitas wasn't able to stop one of Riku's attacks, which involved him slashing his sword into the ground, creating a shockwave that stunned Sora.

Luckily, Vanitas managed to catch Riku's sword with his staff, and move it where he wanted. He wasn't able to knock the sword out of the boy's hand, but he managed to push it to the side enough to stop his next attacks. Vanitas kicked Riku in the stomach, then jumped up and kicked him in the head, knocking him back.

Sora then used the sleight Fire Raid to throw his Keyblade encased in fire at Riku, hitting him twice as it went through the boy. He caught his Keyblade and immediately followed it up by summoning Donald, who used Thundaga to attack twice.

Once Donald disappeared, Vanitas held off Riku again while Sora healed with Cura. Vanitas kicked Riku in the groin again, knocking him back once again. Sora then used the Lethal Frame sleight to freeze Riku with Stop, then repeatedly slash his Keyblade at him. Before Riku could recover from that, Vanitas launched a gigantic fireball up into the air, that dispelled smaller fireballs into Riku, doing a significant amount of damage and ending the fight. Riku uttered, "Me, lose?" as light flared, taking them back to the Eigth Floor exit hallway.

Sora and Riku panted at each other for a few seconds, before Riku turned around and started running up the stairs in front of them.

"Riku!" Sora called out, reaching for his friend. "Please wait!"

All Sora could do was stare in shock as his friend ran up the stairs.

Vanitas followed his friend up the stairs to the ninth floor. They stopped in front of the staircase, and Sora looked around.

"Riku!" he called out. "Where are you?"

They got no response from the empty hallway.

"I thought you said he was in the basement," Sora snapped at Vanitas. "And we wouldn't be able to reach him!"

"He was in the visions I saw!" Vanitas retorted. "And the visions continued while we were in the Wood. I don't understand how he can be there and here."

Vanitas felt the usual stabbing pain in his head. He saw himself in black clothes with his friend that looked like Roxas. They were facing someone in a red and black bodysuit and metal around his chin and some of his head. His face was exactly the same as Vanitas', right to the black, spikey hair, and orange eyes.

The pain ended as he looked up to see Sora looking down, sadly. Donald and Goofy walked up to Sora, concerned for him.

"Sora, are you okay?" Goofy asked.

"Don't worry about me," Sora muttered. "Riku... what happened?"

Jiminy then jumped out of Sora's hood and placed his hand to his chin in thought.

"Hmmm," he hummed. "Sure was strange. Almost like Ansem was back controlling Riku again."

Vanitas thought about that. If Ansem was really facing off against Riku again somehow, then could he be responsible for there being two Riku's at once? Could he be in league with the Organization?

"But we got rid of Ansem for good," Sora pointed out to Jiminy.

"Then I wonder what is wrong with Riku," Goofy said in thought.

"Hold on!" Donald suddenly exclaimed, making Vanitas jump. "The king! If he's with Riku, then he might be in danger!"

"Guys," Vanitas said. "It might not be Riku."

The four others looked at him, curious.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"Clones, I think," Vanitas said, crossing his arms. "I've experienced it before... a long time ago. I think maybe someone made a copy of Riku with darkness. But which one of the two, the one I've seen in my visions, and the one we've encountered, I can't tell if it's the real Riku or the copy."

Jiminy jumped off of Sora's shoulder and looked up at the boy.

"If that is the real Riku," he started. "Then you probably think he's not your friend. But that's not true."

"Ya sure?" Sora asked.

"Well, I know he said some awful things to you back there," Jiminy continued. "But if that's the real Riku, you gotta remember: we are in Castle Oblivion. Why, we're losing our memories here a little bit at a time. Except for Vanitas without his life force, of course. But if that's the real RIku, then he's probably just forgotten that the two of you were such close friends. That's all."

"So if that's really him," Sora started, hopeful. "He just forgot?"

"My guess is that so," Jiminy confirmed. "But Sora, we still have to focus on the fact we're dealing with two Riku's at once."

"And I thought one of him was bad enough," Vanitas remarked.

"So instead of being sad," Jiminy continued. "We have to figure out which Riku this is, and if it's the real one, figure out a way to help Riku his memory back. If we all work together, why, we're sure to get you through this. No need to mope."

"Jiminy's right," Goofy pointed out. "You shouldn't push your friends away."

"Yeah," Vanitas agreed, as he and Donald nodded in agreement. "We're always here to help."

"Yeah," Sora said. "Okay."

He was no doubt upset about the fact that there was now not one, but two versions of his best friend, they had to try to figure out which was which, and help the real one if he needed it, Vanitas realized. Which was fair with everything else already going on. Instead of realizing that for themselves, Donald and Goofy looked at each other and nodded their heads in agreement, then turned to look at Sora.

"Sora," Donald said. "Do you remember our very first promise?"

"Huh?" Sora asked, looking over his shoulder at them.

"Always smile!" Donald and Goofy answered at once.

"That was the promise we made to each other the first time we met!" Goofy further explained. "We promised to never forget to keep smiling!"

"And even I've done a good job at keeping that promise, if I do say so myself," Vanitas smiled.

Sora smiled and looked over his shoulder at them.

"You're right," he told them.

Vanitas could sense that his friend knew, no matter what was coming up, they would figure it out together. They turned towards the indoor porch and walked up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say near certain points like this


	18. 9th Floor: Atlantica

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes through a new rendition of a very wet place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still want to try to get through these quickly so I can try to get to the next MCU crossover and Days, so we can have Vanitas and Roxas interacting

Sora held the Atlantica card up to the door, and the four walked into the light. They came out into an underwater cavern, but still in their human forms. This, Vanitas found better as he didn't like how they were made into fish hybrids back on the actual world. They walked onto the top of a ridge and overlooked the world around them.

"Gawrsh!" Goofy exclaimed. "This looks like the bottom of the sea."

"It sure does," Sora agreed. "So how come we can breathe?"

"Hmm," Goofy thought. "Beats me!"

"The castle is still ruled by cards," Vanitas pointed out. "If they can change your guys' clothes and make worlds, then couldn't they also make us breathe underwater?"

"Makes sense," Sora said. "It makes it just like we're breathing air!"

"But it's not air," Donald pointed out. "See? Someone's swimming this way!"

They turned to see Ariel the mermaid swimming towards them, carrying a large trident. Her eyes widened when she saw that she was coming close to the four and tried to hide the trident behind her back, unsuccessfully. She stopped in front of them and looked at them, trying to act cool.

"If anyone asks, you didn't see me!" Ariel exclaimed.

"What?" Donald asked at the same time Vanitas asked "Huh?"

"Sorry, I don't have time to explain," Ariel told them. "Just promise you won't tell!"

"Hey, what's that sparkling thingy you got there?" Goofy asked.

"Oh, nothing," Ariel tried insisting. "Nothing at all! Remember, you didn't see me!"

She turned around and started swimming away.

"Well," Donald said. "Looked like she was in a hurry."

"She was hiding something," Sora said.

"Unsuccessfully," Vanitas pointed out. "That was very obviously a trident."

"I wonder why she was so adamant to try to hide it?" Donald asked.

As they made their way through the Castle Oblivion generated rooms, Vanitas saw a vision of Riku, the one Vanitas was sure was the real Riku, making his way through his own version of Atlantica. Along the way, Sora got to test out new sleights, like Firaga Burst and Tornado as he took out underwater themed Heartless. They eventually reached the usual door with a glowing crown on it, and walked through the light into what looked like a throne room.

They walked up to Sebastian the crab, who was facing the throne with his hands on his head, worried.

"Oh, woe is me..." the crab said in his Jamaican accent.

"Is something wrong?" Sora asked.

"Someone stole the king's magic trident," Sebastian explained. "Atlantica is defenseless!"

He turned towards them as he finished, "And to top it off, Princess Ariel has disappeared! King Triton's worried sick. He won't leave his chambers."

"Ariel?" Sora asked. "She disappeared?"

"Oh, boy," Vanitas muttered, knowing where this was going.

"Ariel's friend Flounder would know where she is," Sebastian explained. "But now he's gone, too."

Sora turned to face his friends.

"Wait a sec," he started. "Didn't we just see Ariel?"

"That we did," Vanitas confirmed.

"But she didn't look too happy to see _us_!" Goofy pointed out. "Wasn't she carrying a trident when we saw her?"

"That was a trident?" Sora asked.

"I think it was," Jiminy said after he jumped out of Sora's hood onto the floor.

"Wak?" Donald asked. "But that means Ariel stole it!"

"There must be some explanation," Jiminy said.

"Ariel!" Sebastian exclaimed, upset. "Where did you swim off to this time? If anything happens to you... the king will think it's all my fault! He told me to keep an eye on her, and now this! What if she ran away because of something I said!? King Triton will banish me forever!"

"Overdramatic much?" Vanitas muttered to Goofy.

"He'll pop his shell if we tell him Ariel took the trident," Sora told them.

"How have we had this whole conversation with him right there, not hearing us?" Vanitas asked.

"That, I'm confused about, too," Goofy agreed. "But I guess we'll have to get to the bottom of this ourselves!"

They turned and walked out of the palace. Vanitas had another vision of Riku going through his own Atlantica as they made their way through the card made rooms. He seemed to be doing well, but Vanitas was still incredibly curious about how there could be two of them at once. He pushed those thoughts aside as they made their way through the rooms. They walked through another room with a glowing crown, and walked into a tall underwater cavern with plenty of trinkets on ledges. Ariel floated in the water in the center of the room, holding the trident.

"There she is!" Sora exclaimed as they stood at the end of a short hallway.

"This is all my fault," Ariel said to herself. "I wish I'd never taken Daddy's trident. I should've known things would turn out this way."

"She _did_ take it!" Donald exclaimed.

"Pipe down!" Goofy told him. "Somebody's comin'!"

"No need to worry, child," a familiar, sinister voice announced from above Ariel. "You did the right thing."

Ursula appeared in a cloud of black smoke and looked down at Ariel.

"Why, I'm sure you'd do anything in the world to help your little friend," she told Ariel. "Poor Flounder has been swept away to the human world. No place for a little fish." She floated down to talk face to face with Ariel. "Why, if we don't hurry, you might not have a friend to save..."

"No!" Ariel exclaimed, clutching her eyes tightly to avoid looking at Ursula.

"Besides, you're not _giving_ me the trident, dear," Ursula corrected Ariel. "Just letting me borrow it for a bit. You can save Flounder! Lend me the trident, and I'll help you!"

"I know," Ariel said, looking at Ursula again. "But Daddy needs the trident to defend Atlantica. I need time to think."

Ursula turned away from her and swam up into the water a bit.

"Well, it's all the same to me," Ursula said. "Just remember, your little friend is dodging fishhooks while you twiddle your fins. Well, you can come see me once you've made up your mind."

With that, Ursula disappeared in black smoke.

"What am I going to do?" Ariel asked herself.

"Don't trust _her,_ that's for sure," Sora announced as the four boys finally walked into the room.

"How long have you been listening?" Ariel asked.

"Long enough to know she's a bitch," Vanitas admitted.

"It doesn't matter," Donald pointed out. "Sora and V are right! Don't trust that sea witch! She's up to no good. You can see it in her face!"

"Then we all agree!" Ariel exclaimed. "The problem is, I don't have any idea where Flounder is. And she's the only one who can help."

"What about us?" Sora asked. "C'mon. Let's go talk to her. You shouldn't have to do this by yourself."

"Really?" Ariel asked. "You'll come with me?"

"Hell, yeah," Vanitas assured her.

"We know what it's like to have friends in trouble," Sora admitted. "Let's get going!"

They made their way through a few more rooms before they came to the last door with a glowing crown on it. They walked through the light into a more spooky looking chamber. They ran up to a large cauldron in the center of the room and stopped. They looked up at the large porthole like object on a pillar. Ursula swam out of the porthole and floated above the cauldron. She looked at the group of people in front of her.

"My, so many guests!" Ursula happily exclaimed. "Have you made up your mind, my dear?"

"I'll do anything for Flounder," Ariel announced. "But I need proof I can trust you. You said we could save Flounder if I gave you the trident. Well, prove it!"

"But of course!" Ursula insisted. "See?"

Ursula waved her hand and Flounder appeared in a flash of black smoke.

"Ariel!" Flounder exclaimed.

"I knew something was fishy!" Donald exclaimed.

"There you have it," Ursula announced, a bit more sinister this time. "If you want your precious Flounder back, give me the trident!"

Vanitas pulled out his revolver and pulled back the chamber as Ariel thought it over. It then glowed as she raised it up in the air. It floated over to Ursula, who caught it in her left hand, making it stop glowing.

"Ha ha!" Ursula laughed evilly. "Mine at last! Now I'm ruler of all the seas!"

"Let Flounder go!" Ariel snapped at the witch.

"But of course!" Ursula retorted. "I'm feeling generous."

Flounder swam up to them, and Vanitas raised his revolver at Ursula.

"Which reminds me," Ursula said. "You always wanted to see other worlds, didn't you? Well, dear, I know just the world to send you to! Unfortunately, this will be a one way trip!"

The trident glowed and Ursula raised it into the air, causing it to expel yellow lightning. Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas stood on a circular platform, with black smoke covering the ground below it. Two tentacles slammed into the ground next to them, causing them to stand in their battle stances, ready. Ursula came out of the smoke, now much bigger with a crown in her hair, and the trident in her hand. Vanitas had a slight vision of Riku being in the same place with his own variation of Ursula, but it faded in just enough time.

"The sea and all of its denizens shall grovel before me!" Ursula announced.

The first thing they had to do was attack the tentacles. Sora set up an extended combo and used Sonic Blade to take two of them out. Vanitas then shot the remaining two tentacles twice with his revolver. With her tentacles defeated, Ursula moved closer to the arena, and Sora didn't hesitate to attack her with an extended combo. Vanitas emptied his revolver, then pulled out his SPAS 12 shotgun. Sora stopped Ursula's next attack with a card the same amount as hers, then used Ars Arcanum to attack her with many slashes, before he had to re-stack his deck.

But Ursula's tentacles then popped back up, which made them go back to defending. Vanitas blasted the tentacles with his shotgun, but Sora took out one on his own. When Ursula came in close once again, Vanitas didn't hesitate to blast her in the face multiple times. Sora added another few extended combos before he had to re-stack his deck again. Tentacles came up again, and Sora took them out with extended combos and Strike Raid while Vanitas reloaded his shotgun.

Unfortunately, while attacking her the last time, Sora's deck ran dangerously low. So, he stopped Ursula's next attack with a green card with the Mickey emblem on it, and Vanitas finished her off by lobing a giant fireball at her head. Both Sora and Riku were rewarded with Ursula enemy cards, which they stored away for later. Light flared, and they were back in Ursula's chamber with Ariel holding the trident with Flounder in front of her.

"Don't be mad, Ariel," Flounder begged her. "That ol' witch tricked me."

"Flounder, as long as you're safe, nothing else matters," Ariel told him. "Now all we have to do is return the trident and everything will be okay."

"But what if the king finds out you're the one who took it in the first place?" Sora asked.

"She's a teenager," Vanitas pointed out. "He'll probably see it as her form of rebellion and just give her some punishment."

"It'll be more than that," Ariel told him. "I'll be grounded forever..."

"Ariel!" Sebastian's voice called out from the exit. "Ariel! Where are you, girl? If you can hear me, please answer!"

"It's Sebastian!" Ariel announced, as if they didn't recognize the Jamaican voice. "He came all this way just to find me."

"How did he know we were out here?" Vanitas asked, confused.

"Who knows?" Goofy asked. "But when he get's here, she's gonna get it!"

"Hey, I know!" Sora announced. "Why don't you just say the sea witch stole the trident? And you got it back all by yourself! Then there's no way you'll get in trouble!"

"I just had the same idea!" Ariel exclaimed. "But... I can't do that. I don't want to get in trouble, but I can't lie. Not about this. I know I haven't made the best decisions lately." She looked at Flounder. "It was a mistake to take the trident. But I made that mistake because I wanted to help you, Flounder. I'm proud of that." She turned back towards the four. "Blaming someone else would mean giving those feelings up. So, I'm going to tell the truth."

"She's right, Sora!" Jiminy told Sora. "Honesty is the best policy."

"That's a lie, and everyone knows it," Vanitas told the cricket.

"Hey, I was just kidding!" Sora exclaimed, putting his hands on the back of his head. "Great, now _I'm_ the one in hot water!"

Vanitas smacked Sora on the back of the head, and everyone laughed at his expanse. After saying goodbye to Ariel and Flounder, they started to make their way to the exit hallway.


	19. Memories Altered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Vanitas fight off against "Riku" again, and Vanitas finds out something unfortunate about his friend

Sora and Vanitas entered the exit hallway for the ninth floor, and saw "Riku" walking away from the door. He managed to reach the center of the room before the two started running towards him. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at them.

"Take the hint," "Riku" told them. "I told you to go home."

"You're not the boss of us," Vanitas told the silver haired boy with snark.

"Not until I rescue you 'n Namine," Sora told "Riku." "That is... if you're the real Riku."

"What are you talking about?" "Riku" snapped at Sora. "Of course I'm real!"

That seemed to be all the confirmation Sora needed, but Vanitas remained skeptical. Besides, he could already tell that the Riku in the basement was the real one based off of his actions.

"Besides," "Riku" continued. "I don't remember ever asking you to rescue me."

"Did you forget?" Sora asked with a slight smile on his face. "Kairi's there... waiting for both of us to come home."

"You made it into a love triangle for some reason," Vanitas joked, remembering the story Sora told them about when they were trying how to decide how to name their raft back on the island.

"You're the one who forgot," "Riku" snapped, turning to look at Sora. "I told you at Kingdom Hearts when we closed the door... 'Take care of Kairi'."

Vanitas was a little glad that his friend was still able to remember Kairi, meaning this place hadn't had too much effect on him, yet. However, Sora still sadly looked down at his friends' words.

"Give it up," "Riku" told Sora. "I'm not going back to the islands... for anything."

"It's not just for Kairi!" Sora exclaimed. "What about the rest?"

"You're content with never seeing your family ever again?" Vanitas asked, although he could already tell it was no use.

"You can have those losers," "Riku" told him, coldly. "Already forgot 'em."

"That's enough!" Sora exclaimed.

He summoned his Keyblade and stood in his battle stance as Vanitas pulled out his sledgehammer.

"What about you, Sora?" "Riku" asked, pointing at Sora. "Do you actually remember what they all look like?

Sora started to respond with "Of course I rememb..." before he stopped and thought about it. He stepped out of his battle stance and looked down in thought. Vanitas put his hand on his friend's shoulder in sympathy.

"Riku" just looked in front of himself and chuckled, darkly.

"Don't feel bad," he told Sora. "That's what this castle does to you... after a while."

"Riku" turned and walked forwards a bit more.

"It's good," he continued. "You forget all the useless stuff and remember for the first time what really matters. I remembered it, Sora." He gestured with his arms to accentuate his point. "I now know the one thing that is most important to me." He turned and looked at Sora. "Protecting Namine. Nothing else matters, not a thing."

Sora looked up at "Riku," and Vanitas watched the two look at each other for a few seconds. He could sense that Sora was imagining a fight the two had when they were kids with wooden swords. The fight continued as Sora said out loud "Hey... Riku..."

The memory faded as Sora looked directly at "Riku" again.

"I think I'll jog your memory," Sora said as he stood back in his battle stance again.

"Riku" chuckled before saying "Go ahead and try," then standing in his battle stance, holding his sword.

"Cool, two in one day," Vanitas said, twirling his sledgehammer in his hand.

Light flared, and they were on the circular arena again. Sora immediately gave himself an extended combo and used it, stopping "Riku's" attack. Vanitas hit "Riku" in the chest with his sledgehammer, knocking him back, and Sora used Sonic Blade to slide around the arena, attacking him many times. "Riku" tried another attack, but Vanitas caught it with his sledgehammer. He then hit "Riku" in the crotch with his sledgehammer, causing a good amount of damage and knocking back the silver haired teen. "Riku" then attacked with a 0 card, so Sora used Ars Arcanum to attack with a lot of slashes with the Keyblade, causing a good amount of damage.

Sora then used a 0 card to stop "Riku's" attack, then healed himself from the attacks that had hit him before he completely stopped them. Vanitas then smacked "Riku" in the face with his sledgehammer, then kicked him in the chest, knocking him back. Before he could attack again, Sora used Sonic Blade to attack a lot of times again. "Riku" raised his sword, but Vanitas grabbed his arm and kneed him in the chest. He then swung his sledgehammer into the boy's back, knocking him to the ground. Before Vanitas could do another attack, Sora used the Tornado sleight to pick up Riku and drop him to the ground, hard. Just as Vanitas made a move to kick Riku in the head, Sora ended the battle with the Quake sleight, making "Riku" utter "You gotta be kidding me..."

Light flared, and they were back in the exit hallway. "Riku" was on one knee, but then pushed himself onto his feet with his sword.

"Hmph," "Riku" said. "Too bad, Sora. You can fight me all you want, but I still won't remember a thing."

He stood straight up and stood in his battle stance.

"Come on, Riku," Sora insisted, standing up out of his battle stance. "Let's quit fighting... let's go help Namine."

"Together, right," "Riku" sarcastically said, getting out of his battle stance. "So like you..."

"That's what makes him so special," Vanitas commented.

"Riku" looked at Vanitas like he was an idiot, then looked back at Sora.

"...Sora..." he continued. "You're always trying to worm you way into my heart!"

"Riku" pointed his sword right at a surprised Sora.

"Hold on!" Sora exclaimed. "When did I ever do that?"

"Hmph," "Riku" grunted, lowering his sword. "You forgot that, too?" He pointed at Sora. "You never cared. It never mattered to you!"

With that, "Riku" turned and ran up the stairs. Sora reached for him but then stopped and stood up straight.

"You won't push me away," Sora said, determined.

"If you're sure," Vanitas said, knowing the younger boy would surely still have trouble believing whether or not the RIku they just faced was real or the clone.

As they walked up the stairs, Vanitas finally had another vision of Axel. The redhead was asking some blonde girl in a white dress if it hurt watching Sora and "Riku" fighting over her, which led Vanitas to conclude this was Namine. He then said that it was impossible because... Nobodies could never hope to be Somebodies? What the hell? Before he could try to get any kind of explanation about that, the vision ended, and he was walking with his friends into the tenth floor entrance hallway. They stopped right in front of the stairs as Sora had stopped.

"I don't get it," he announced. "Riku and I... we both want the same thing." He turned towards his friends. "Both of us want to help Namine out. How come we're fighting each other? I mean..." He put his hands on the back of his head. "...Riku and I have argued about stuff in the past, but..."

"How are you so sure that this is the real Riku?" Vanitas asked.

"He insisted it," Sora said, as if that explained everything.

"So?" Vanitas asked. "If you were a clone of somebody, you would do everything you could to insist you were the real version to someone else."

"And if it is the real Riku," Goofy said. "It could be 'cause ya care what happens to each other." Donald nodded in agreement.

"Hm..." Sora said, lowering his hands. "I really thought so, too, but... If that is Riku, maybe he doesn't..."

"If that is him, you can't give up," Donald told him. "You're friends... tied together. Sora, Riku, and... and..."

Vanitas raised his eyebrows at the duck. Was this really happening?

"What was her name?" Donald asked, looking up at a confused Goofy.

This was really happening.

"Hm," Jiminy announced from Sora's shoulder. "It seems our memories are fading mighty fast. Sora, we gotta hurry. I bet Riku will come around if you just talk to him."

"You're right," Sora smiled at the cricket. "We three were never apart. Me 'n Riku... and Namine."

He looked up, smiling, and Vanitas knew, things were changing severely for his friend.

"Uh..." he started, raising a hand to his friend. "What about Kairi?"

"Who?" Sora asked, curious.

"That's what I thought," Vanitas muttered, upset.

He grabbed his head, seeing he was finally having another vision about Roxas. He and Xion were walking through the bright city, when Xion stopped.

"Roxas," Xion said.

He turned back towards Xion, just in time for Xion to pull back a hood, revealing a feminine face with short, spikey black hair with blue eyes.

"Best of luck today," the girl told him.

Both Vanitas and Roxas gasped in surprise at the sight of Xion without her hood.

"Yeah," Roxas managed to say. He turned towards the road next to them. "Let's go."

The vision ended, and Vanitas was left wondering why both Namine and Xion looked just like Kairi as he followed his friends up the stairs and to the doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I legitimately can't figure out how to add the accent to the 'e' in "Namine". I could only do it for the character tag because the character tag was already a thing.


	20. 10th Floor: Neverland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes through a new rendition of a very large pirate ship

They walked through the light in the doors, walking out into the hallways of a large pirate ship. They stopped and looked around, curious at their surroundings.

"Where are we now?" Sora asked.

"The not really Neverland," Vanitas remembered. "We're on Hook's pirate ship."

"Makes sense," Goofy said. "The floor is kinda unsteady. I can hear the ocean, too..."

"How did we get on a ship?" Donald asked.

"Cards," Sora pointed out, remembering Vanitas' words from Atlantica. "Well, we'd better find a way out. But which way do we go?"

Tinker Bell suddenly flew into the center of the circle the four had made, surprising everybody but Vanitas.

"Wak!" Donald exclaimed.

"Who are you?" Sora asked her.

"Hi, Tink," Vanitas said, waving at her.

Tinker Bell then flew around in a circle before flying up into the air. Jiminy then jumped out of Sora's hood and landed on the floor.

"Maybe she's trying to help us," he suggested.

Tinker Bell flew in another circle and faced Goofy.

"Looks like you're right!" he agreed.

Tinker Bell turned towards a nearby doorway, and the four started to follow her. She had also unknowingly given Sora the Glide ability, which Vanitas knew would come in handy later.

Sora and Vanitas made it through the Castle Oblivion renditioned rooms, facing off against Heartless, Sora with a newly stacked deck, and Vanitas with his spear and axe. While they made their way through the rooms, Vanitas saw visions of Riku fighting through his version of Wonderland, with a pretty bad deck, actually. He had noticed by now that Riku's deck was randomly selected based on each floor he went through, but he still couldn't believe that a deck that crappy could actually be given to him. Eventually, Sora and Vanitas walked through the special door with a glowing crown on it, right onto the top of a ledge, with some random equipment on the floor.

"Is it just me, or are all the rooms starting to look the same?" Sora asked, looking around.

"This is a pirate ship, what do you expect?" Vanitas asked.

"Or maybe we're goin' in circles?" Goofy asked Donald.

"Some help _she_ was," Donald angrily exclaimed.

Tinker Bell then flew at Donald and started angrily flying in circles around his head.

"I think you mighta ruffled her feathers, Donald," Goofy told him.

"Tink, what are you doing!?" a voice above them called out. "You weren't supposed to bring the pirates _with_ you!"

They looked up just in time to see Peter Pan floating down to their level. Sora ran towards him, but Peter pulled out his dagger.

"Stay back, pirates!" Peter exclaimed. "Or this will be the last fight you pick!"

"What's the big idea!?" Donald exclaimed. "We're not pirates! We're only here because..." After a second of thought, he looked at Sora. "Why are we here, Sora?"

"Hey, Peter," Vanitas said, waving at the boy in green.

"How am I supposed to know, Donald?" Sora asked the duck. "Goofy, V, what do you guys think?"

"Gawrsh, beats me," Goofy said, putting one hand on his head in thought.

"Okay, okay, I understand," Peter said. "Sora, V, Donald, and Goofy, right? I guess if you were real pirates, you wouldn't get lost on your own ship."

"No dip, Sherlock," Vanitas said.

"Plus, you're dressed kinda funny," Peter elaborated.

"There you go again!" Donald exclaimed, as Vanitas muttered "That's fair..."

"Wait, so if you thought we were pirates," Sora said. "This must be a pirate ship!"

"That's right," Peter confirmed. "You're trapped inside the Jolly Roger, ship of the ol' codfish, Captain Hook."

"Well, if we're trapped, that means you are, too!" Donald exclaimed as Peter turned away from them and crossed his arms.

"Me?" Peter asked, not looking at them. "Don't be silly. No one can capture Peter Pan! I'm just laying low until it's time to spring my plan."

What plan is that?" Goofy asked while Vanitas muttered "Whatever you say."

"The pirates kidnapped my friend, Wendy," Peter explained. "She's got to be somewhere on this ship." He turned to face them. "I didn't expect there to be so many pirates, though. I sent Tink to look for a way around, but all she found was you."

"I bet I know what Tink had in mind," Sora announced. "If we all make a big enough racket, we can distract the pirates!"

Tinker Bell flew to Sora and he watched as she flew around him.

"Gawrsh, you musta read her mind!" Goofy observed.

"So how 'bout it?" Sora asked. "Let's work together, at least until we get above deck."

"Well, why not?" Peter asked in thought. "Of course, I could save Wendy myself, if I wanted to..." Vanitas sarcastically muttered, "Sure you could." "... But you guys look like you'd be stuck without me."

He turned and started flying away.

"Don't you have _any_ manners?" Donald called after him.

"I don't think he does," Vanitas told him.

They made their way through more rooms with Peter's help, taking out lots of pirate based Heartless along the way. They walked through another door with a glowing crown on it, and found themselves in a hallway walking to an open door. Peter flew in first, then announced "There she is!"

Wendy looked up from the floor. "Peter? Peter Pan!"

The others followed Peter into the room as he floated down to stand on the floor instead.

"Wendy, are you all right?" he asked her. "I've come to rescue her with my four new Lost Boys! C'mon, let's get off this leaky ol' tub and do some exploring! Ha ha! We'll never grow up!"

"Oh, man, I kinda miss those kids," Vanitas muttered as he crossed his arms and looked up in thought.

"Listen, Peter," Wendy told him. "I've got something to tell you... I want to go home to London."

He jumped back in shock at her words.

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked her, visibly angry. "Why would you want to do that? You'd have to turn into a grown-up. Besides, goin' on adventures is a lot more fun! If you go back to London, you'll have to leave the nursery. You'll grow up and we'll never see each other again!"

"Geez, this guy's overdramaticy makes yours look tame," Vanitas whispered to Sora.

"Wendy just turned away from Peter and looked down.

"I know, Peter," she admitted. "But... I still want to go home."

"I came to rescue you!" Peter exclaimed. "And you don't care if you ever see me again!"

Wendy turned back around to face him.

"No, you don't understand!" she exclaimed.

Peter floated up into the air.

"Suit yourself!" He snapped at Wendy. "And while you're at it, rescue yourself! I'm leaving."

He turned around and flew over the four, right out the door.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Sora angrily called out.

"There he goes," Donald muttered, annoyed.

Wendy looked down sadly and muttered, "Peter..."

"Not very thoughtful, is he?" Sora asked, crossing his arms.

"That he is not," Vanitas agreed. "What do we do now?"

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Goofy exclaimed. "Why don't we think of something once we get up on deck?"

"That doesn't make any sense," Donald told him. "I think."

"Well, there's still trouble waiting outside," Sora pointed out.

"That's what we're here for," Vanitas said, raising his revolver as he slid another bullet into its wheel of bullets. They turned towards Wendy.

"Wendy, you stay here," Sora told her. "We'll try to create a distraction."

"All right," Wendy said. "Be careful."

"Maybe if you stay here, Peter will change his mind and come back," Goofy suggested.

They turned and walked out into the hallway. They walked through a few more rooms until they found the third and final door with a glowing crown on it. The two walked in through the light and walked out onto the deck of the pirate ship.

"Whew!" Donald exclaimed, relieved. "We finally made it out!"

"There you are, you rascals!" a scratchy voice nearby snapped at them.

Captain Hook walked into view and looked at the four with scorn on his face.

"I'll teach you to play stow away on my ship!" Hook snapped at them. "Friends of Peter Pan, I'll wager!"

"Are we his friends?" Donald muttered to the other three.

"He sure didn't seem to think so," Goofy pointed out.

"Yeah, the way he took off like that," Sora agreed. "He even ditched Wendy."

"Doesn't matter," Vanitas told them. "I've fought this guy two other times. It'll be easy to kick his ass."

"I'm not finished talking yet!" Hook angrily snapped at the four. "How dare you ignore me and plot behind my back!? Uncivilized brats!"

"Thank you!" Vanitas said with a smile on his face.

"You're in cahoots with Peter Pan, no mistake!" Hook snapped.

"If you say so," Sora said. "Either way, you're gonna let us off this ship."

"And Wendy's coming with us," Goofy added.

"Think again, you scallywags!" Hook exclaimed, looking and pointing to his left. "Hook's one step ahead of you!"

They followed his gaze to see Wendy standing on the plank, right over the water.

"Wendy!" Sora exclaimed.

The four ran forwards and stood next to Hook in front of the plank.

"Any trouble, and Wendy takes a long walk off the plank!" Hook announced.

"You wouldn't!" Donald exclaimed.

"Believe me, I'd rather not," Hook admitted, looking at them. "After all, I need Wendy to bait that blasted Peter Pan!"

"Then I'll just have to take the bait, you old codfish!" Peter's voice announced from above.

To Hook's surprise, Peter floated down from the air and onto the plank, in front of Wendy.

"Peter!" Wendy said in surprise and relief.

"Here I am, Hook!" Peter announced, as if they couldn't already see that. "Miss me?"

"Insolent _brat_!" Hook yelled at him. "Today is the day you pay for taking my hand!"

Hook ran down the plank towards them, but then Peter picked up Wendy and flew off of it, leaving Hook to stumble onto the edge.

"Uh-oh!" Peter mockingly exclaimed.

"Agh?" Hook exclaimed in surprise. He tried to balance himself, uttering "Wa-wa-wa-wa-whoa!"

He balanced himself and turned towards Peter.

"You've made a fool of me for the last time, Pan!" Hook snapped. "I'll cleave you to the brisket!"

Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas stood facing against Hook, Sora with his Keyblade and Vanitas with his BO staff. Vanitas had a slight vision of Riku facing a Trickmaster in his Wonderland. It ended just in time for Sora to give himself extended combos and start one on Hook, that got interrupted. But he managed to start Sonic Blade and use it to slide into Hook multiple times to attack. Vanitas intercepted the pirate's next sword attack with his staff, then pushed the sword to the side. He hit Hook first in the stomach with his staff, then in the groin, then in the face, knocking the man back.

Before Vanitas could do something else, Hook attacked Sora with a strong slash with his sword, knocking back the boy. He countered by attacking the pirate with another extended combo, then Fire Raid. But then Hook decided to make everything difficult for the brunette by using a card that gave all of the cards he used be a 0 card. So when Sora started a combo or sleight, Hook would very quickly break it. He re-stacked his deck while Vanitas held off the pirate with his staff. Luckily when Hook tried using a sleight of his own, Sora was able to stop it pretty quickly. That didn't mean he didn't need to re-stack his deck again after that, though.

Sora then used two more extended combos on Hook while he charged up to re-stack his own deck, which also ended the all zeros status effect. Hook attacked Sora pretty quickly after that, but Vanitas grabbed the pirate by his jacket and flipped him over his shoulder. Hook landed on the ground, then Sora used Quake to knock him back down when he tried standing up again. When Hook did stand up, Vanitas kicked him in the chest, which knocked him back into a wall. But then the pirate used a sleight to make barrels appear on the rolling deck. Sora and Vanitas jumped over the barrels, which rolled right into Hook, finishing him off about at the same time Riku finished off his Trickmaster.

Riku was granted a Trickmaster card, and Sora was granted a Hook card, which both of them stored for later.

The four were then back on the ship's deck with Peter, Wendy, and Tinker Bell.

"Thanks, Peter," Sora told him. "We owe you one."

"Well, at first I thought you could handle it," Peter explained. "But it really looked like you needed help."

"What are you talking about?" Vanitas asked jokingly. "We all had it under control, despite the looming threat of defeat hanging over our heads."

The group laughed at that, and Vanitas was happy his joking skills were still holding up well. Peter then turned to Wendy.

"Wendy, about London," he said to her. "Are you sure you won't change your mind?"

"Peter, I'm sorry," she told him. "But I really want to go home."

He turned around and walked a few feet away from her.

"I was afraid of that," Peter admitted. "Everyone grows up... and grown-ups always forget. First you'll forget what it feels like to be young, and then you'll forget about me."

"How can you say such a thing, Peter?" Wendy asked. "I swear, I'll never, ever forget you."

"You're pretty unforgettable, dude," Vanitas told him. "I'm pretty sure it'd take about as much as severe amnesia for someone to forget you."

He was, of course, referring to his own situation, but this Peter wouldn't know about it.

"Sure, that's what you say now," Peter said, turning towards Wendy. "But when you try to remember me, the memories will be gone. You'll forget; little by little, one memory at a time. Once you're grown up, there won't be a single memory left."

"Don't say that," Sora told him. "Memories, even important ones, don't come back to us whenever we want them to. But that doesn't mean the memories are gone. It's more like... like they're sleeping. So when the right thing comes along and wakes the memory up, we can remember it. The memories engraved in our hearts never go away. I'm sure of it."

"He's right, Peter," Wendy told Peter.

"Never, huh?" Peter asked, one hand on his hip. "It's funny. I thought everybody who left Neverland forgot all about it. But I have a feeling you guys just might be different. Okay, Sora! If you say we'll meet again, then I believe you!"

"Oh, Peter," Wendy said happily.

Peter walked closer to her so that they were face to face.

"Let's go, Wendy," he told her. "London is waiting."

Wendy climbed into Peter's arms, and he floated up and faced the group.

"Goodbye, Sora," he told them. "I'll be waiting to see what you and V look like all grown up!"

They flew up into the air with Tinker Bell until Peter and Wendy vanished. But Tinker Bell turned around and flew back towards the group.

"What's the matter, Tink?" Sora asked.

"Oh, yeah," Vanitas said, remembering how they had left Neverland.

She flew in a circle above Sora, and a Tinker Bell summon card floated down into his hand, covered in pixie dust. She flew away as Sora studied it.

"This must be a gift from Peter," Sora summarized.

"Looks like it," Vanitas remarked.

"Maybe he's not such a thoughtless guy after all," Donald said as Sora stashed the card away for later.

All of a sudden, the duck crashed into the ground, uttering "Ow!" The others turned to see that a Moogle had fallen on him, and was laying on his back. Donald just looked forwards, tapping his finger on the floor.

"Another gift from Peter?" Goofy asked.

The Moogle fluttered up with its wings and was now standing on Donald's back.

"What's the big idea!" the duck exclaimed, annoyed.

Sora, Vanitas, and Goofy laughed as the Moogle flew up off of him and into the air. Donald just continued to grumble in annoyance as he got up and followed the others as they started to make their way to the exit hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone know how to make the "e" in "Namine" have the accent on browser? 'Cause I know it's pretty easy to do on the phone, but I do these on the browser so I pretty easily have YouTube next to it with the Timeline ready


	21. A promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First floor they haven't fought "Riku" in a while, and they're a little relieved. But Vanitas' visions spell trouble

After the doors closed behind them, Sora, Vanitas, Donald, and Goofy looked around, cautious and wary at the thought of encountering "Riku" again. Luckily, their fears proved to be unwarranted, as there was no sign of him anywhere. The hallway was quiet and empty, which was a welcome respite after the last two fights.

"Where'd Riku go?" Donald asked.

"Guess he must've finally got tired of fightin' with ya," Goofy suggested to Sora.

"If that really is Riku," Vanitas pointed out. "But if it's the clone, then maybe he was just ordered not to be on this floor."

"Either way," Sora said, placing his hands on the back of his head. "I'm glad we don't have to fight him again."

On the walk through the hallway and up the stairs, Vanitas had his most clear vision since before they had fought Larxene. In it, he saw Axel, Larxene, and Vexen standing next to the orb on the pedestal, with Namine sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, looking unhappy. Axel had his arms crossed and just looked annoyed, which Vanitas felt was fair if he really had to spend so much time with these two.

"So what's going on, Vexen?" Larxene asked in mock curiosity. "Your Riku was supposed to counter Sora. What's he waiting for? Where is he?"

Vexen just looked annoyed and angered by her words.

"He's hiding somewhere to lure Sora deeper into the castle, right?" Axel suggested. He looked at Larxene. "I suppose we should just leave it at that, you know."

"A-ha!" Larxene exclaimed in mock excitement. "Oh, I see now! I would have never guessed that. So sorry, Vexen."

"Silence!" Vexen bellowed at her mock sadness.

"Predictable response," Larxene remarked, annoyed. "Forget it. Men without hearts are so boring."

 _Man, this girl's a bitch_ , Vanitas thought.

 _You have no idea,_ Vanitas heard Axel's thoughts.

He was a little surprised because that ability hadn't flared up in a little while, but he shrugged it off. He also wasn't exactly surprised by the mentioning of having no hearts, because it had occurred to him that something had to explain how these guys existed in between Light and Dark so well. It didn't occur to him that it would be as drastic as this, but it sort of lined up with everything else in their lives.

"You're one to talk," Vexen snapped at Larxene. "As if you have such a heart to speak of yourself."

"That's enough," the regal sounding voice originated behind Vexen, garnering the three Organization members' attentions.

Darkness rushed, and the man who led them to the castle appeared.

"Marluxia!" Vexen exclaimed as the man took off his hood, revealing his long, pink hair and blue eyes, while also spewing out some flower petals.

 _This guy has pink hair, a regal voice, and has control of flower petals?_ Vanitas thought. _Yep, he's gay. Definitely gay._

 _I'd think so, too,_ Axel thought. _If he wasn't paired up so tightly with Larxene._

 _Fine,_ Vanitas thought. _The Gay Man and his Bitch._

Both the pyrotechnics chuckled at that as Vanitas' vision continued. Marluxia had started to walk towards Vexen.

"Vexen, the simple fact is that your project was a failure," Marluxia told him. "You'd best not disappoint us again."

"Disappoint _you_?" Vexen asked in disbelief. "You go too far! In this Organization, you're Number 11! I'm Number 4 and I will not have you-"

He was cut off by Marluxia making a scythe appear in his hand and pointing it right at his face. Vexen gasped in surprise at the sight.

"I've been entrusted this castle and Namine by our leader," Marluxia told him with a smug smile on his face. "Defying me will be seen as treason against the Organization."

"'Traitors are eliminated'," Axel pointed out. "I believe that's what the rules say."

"Who needs a half-baked good-for-nothing, anyway?" Larxene asked.

"Ng..." Vexen grunted at her words.

"Vexen, you cannot win against Sora and Vanitas," Marluxia told him, the smile never leaving his face.

"Pity to be so ignorant," Vexen smirked. "As you're only able to see the surface of things, I should not expect you to appreciate my true might."

"Oh?" Marluxia asked. The scythe disappeared from his hands, dissipating into flower petals. "Then let us watch as you prove it."

"What?" Vexen asked, confused.

Marluxia turned around, saying "None of us wish to be suspicious of a comrade."

"Your insincerity is comforting," Vexen sarcastically remarked as darkness surged around him, making him disappear.

"You give a challenge like that to Vexen, and he'll seriously want to eliminate Sora and Vanitas," Axel remarked. "Especially Vanitas, what with that history they have."

"That would be an unfortunate denouement," Marluxia told him, smile still on his face.

Axel and Larxene watched as Marluxia walked over to Namine. The blonde haired girl jumped as Marluxia bent down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What to do?" he asked her. "Your hero is soon to be wiped from existence. But I believe there is a certain promise he made you."

She looked up in surprise, the sadness never leaving her face.

"Isn't that right, Namine?" Marluxia asked her.

"...Yes," Namine begrudgingly agreed as she looked back down and Marluxia stood up.

Vanitas' vision ended as they walked into the entrance hall for the next floor.

"Wow!" Donald exclaimed. "The eleventh floor... We've gotten up pretty high."

"And that must mean we've lost eleven whole floors' worth of our memories," Jiminy remarked. "Sora, it's still not too late. Don't you think we should turn back, like V originally suggested?"

"Can't do it," Sora said. "Because... that would break an old promise that I made."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow at the words of a promise, remembering it from his vision.

"An old promise?" Jiminy asked. "What would that be?"

Sora looked up, telling them "On the islands, I promised Namine... that I'd keep her safe, no matter what. But, I forgot it..."

"What about Kairi?" Vanitas asked.

Sora still looked curious at the name.

"I didn't remember until I started forgetting everything else!" Sora continued. Donald and Goofy looked at him sympathetically. "A promise between the two of us. That's why... I can't leave. Now that I remember the promise, I have to keep it."

"Of course," Jiminy said. "We understand, Sora."

"I had another vision," Vanitas remarked, before they moved towards the stairs.

That garnered their attentions.

"I saw the guy who lured us to this castle in the first place," Vanitas explained. "He's got pink hair, controls flower petals, and a real regal voice. His name's Marluxia, and there's no doubt that he's gay. Apparently he's in charge of things here, but he seems to be up to something with Larxene and Axel, although Axel seems like he's kind of on my side. He suggested Vexen to, I think fight us. But then he told a visibly uncomfortable Namine about that promise you were just talking about."

He made sure to add some of his suspicion to his tone, to make sure his friends got his message. Unfortunately, none of them got the message.

"He must be making her do something unpleasant," Sora summarized. "Let's go, we have to help her."

Vanitas sighed out at his friends' ignorance. He could tell that Sora was so far gone that if Vanitas told him his thoughts about Namine, Sora's only reaction would to be to try to kick his ass. He was pretty sure the only thing that would confirm to Sora that something sinister was going on was to see it with his own eyes, no matter how convincing Vanitas could be. So, they would just have to find it. Knowing that he had no other choice, he followed his friends up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luckily I think there's only a few chapters left after this. Hollow Bastion, Twilight Town, Destiny Islands, and then the top floor. Maybe eight or nine left


	22. 11th Floor: Hollow Bastion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes through a new rendition of a familiar castle

The four walked through the light of the double doors and came out on the walkways of the castle of Hollow Bastion.

"Nice to be in a familiar place," Vanitas remarked. He looked over to his friends. "And by the way, this is the place Goof was talking about back on the second floor. The place with all the weird contraptions and shit."

"No kidding?" Sora asked as they walked up a staircase.

"Hey, I'm hearing voices!" Goofy announced as they stopped. "I wonder who it is."

"I've got an idea," Vanitas told them as he peeked around the corner.

Jiminy jumped out of Sora's hood and peeked around the corner with him.

"Shh!" Jiminy told them. "I think something's wrong!"

"I _know_ something's wrong," Vanitas remarked as he pulled a knife out of its sheath.

They watched as Beast stood, talking to Belle, who was facing away from him.

"But Belle, I don't understand!" he exclaimed. "I came here to rescue you!"

"Beast..." Belle told him. "I did not ask you to come." She turned to face him. "And it doesn't matter, anyway. I'm not going back with you, so you're wasting your time."

"Belle?" Beast asked her. "Do you know what you're saying? How can you stay here with that witch?"

"I have nothing more to say," Belle told him, as she turned away from him again. "Now leave, before she finds you."

She started to walk away from him, and the group walked up to Beast.

"Belle," Beast muttered. "Why?"

"I'm not sure what's going on," Sora admitted, announcing their arrival. "Is everything okay?"

"Don't feel bad," Donald told him. "There must be a reason she said those things."

"She might be lying to try to protect you," Vanitas suggested.

"Keep your sympathy," Beast told them as he turned to face them. "No one could ever care for a beast like me."

He walked past the four, walking back the way they had come in.

"Poor guy," Goofy remarked. "Sure wish there was somethin' we could do for him."

"There is," Vanitas said. "We can find out why she said such mean shit to him."

"Not how I'd put it," Sora remarked. "But he's right. Let's go."

They started running towards the entrance of the castle. As they made their way through the Castle Oblivion rendition rooms, Vanitas had a vision showing Riku appearing in his own version of Halloween Town. This made Vanitas a little curious, as this was the fourth world so far that he was in, but he had not been before entering the castle. He shrugged it off and blasted a Defender Heartless with a big fireball, completely destroying it. Once light took Sora and Vanitas back to the world, they moved to the door with a glowing crown on it. They walked in through the light, and walked into the top level of the castle library.

Belle was waiting there, and turned at the sound of the people walking towards her.

"Who are you?" she asked. "Were you kidnapped, too?"

"No, we're here to fight the witch," Vanitas answered. "We're pretty good at fighting evil forces."

"Wait!" Sora remarked. "So you've been kidnapped? You don't want to be here?"

"Have you seen this castle?" Vanitas asked him. "Who would willingly want to be here?"

"He's right," Belle agreed. "And no, I don't really want to be here. That witch forced me to come here. Personally, I don't like your chances to fight her."

"You'd be surprised," Vanitas remarked.

"I have no one to talk to here," Belle continued. "Books are all I have to ease my loneliness." She turned away from them. "And then there's him... Oh, I've missed him so much."

"You mean the Beast?" Goofy asked. "Then why were you so mean to him before?"

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "You really hurt his feelings."

"You don't understand," Belle told them. "I can't let him see how I really feel."

"Why not?" Sora asked.

"You're trying to protect him from the witch, right?" Vanitas asked.

"Yes," Belle agreed, nodding her head. "Exactly."

"Ha!" Vanitas exclaimed, smiling and pointing at his friends. "I was right. You guys owe me 100 munny."

"Did we bet on that?" Sora asked, looking up in thought.

"Let's say 'yes'," Vanitas said, still smiling.

The sound of a door closing originated from somewhere, surprising them.

"Oh, no, she's coming!" Belle exclaimed, worried. "Hide, quickly!" The boys looked around, curiously. "There's no time to explain. Quick. Hide!"

They ran past Belle to the staircase. Vanitas took out his revolver just in case as nearby bookshelves moved, revealing an entranceway. Maleficent walked out past Belle to the nearby table.

"Oh," Belle said, uncertainly. "Hello. To what do I owe this visit?"

"He was here... yes?" Maleficent asked. She turned to face Belle. "He risked his life to come and save you. Why do you reject him?"

"I won't ask for his help," Belle told her.

"Oh, and why is that?" Maleficent asked, knowingly.

"You know very well why," Belle snapped at the witch. "I'm not going to fall into your trap!"

"Then I have no choice but to make you _beg_ for his help!" Maleficent snapped at her.

Maleficent raised her arms and green fire covered both of them. Vanitas shot his revolver at Maleficent, but the bullet just passed through the fading fire as the two disappeared. He and the others tried running to where the fire had faded to no avail.

"No!" Sora exclaimed. "She got away!"

"What should we do?" Goofy asked.

"We're gonna find her and help her," Vanitas answered, pulling the valve for the gun so the next bullet would be ready.

"What else?" Sora sarcastically asked the dog.

"We'll discuss the munny at a later time," Vanitas added before they started running to the door they came in.

Sora and Vanitas ran through more card made rooms, taking out all kinds of crazy Heartless, like the familiar Wizards and Wyverns. They eventually reached the next door with a glowing crown on it. They ran through the light into the castle's entrance hall to catch the end of an angry conversation between Maleficent and Belle.

"Enough!" Sora exclaimed.

"Back off, bitch!" Vanitas added, raising his revolver.

"The Beast isn't the only one you have to deal with," Sora told the witch as he, Donald, and Goofy stood in their battle stances.

"Begone, boy," Maleficent told Sora. "You have no business here. Unless, of course, you wish to join in the screaming!" She turned to Vanitas. "Wait... why do you look familiar?"

"I have one of those faces," Vanitas told her. Of course even an edited Maleficent would remember that she had met Vanitas before. Just his luck.

"This is perfect," Maleficent continued. "When that brute hears your shrieks of terror, he'll come right to me!"

"Shut up," Vanitas simply said before firing a shot at Maleficent.

The witch deflected it with her staff. Then green energy appeared at the top of her staff and surrounded Vanitas. She raised the staff, which also picked up Vanitas. She gestured to the side, and Vanitas flew into a nearby column, making his gun clatter to the ground.

"That was unexpected," Vanitas nonchalantly said from his position on the floor.

"That is what I was going for," Maleficent told him. She turned to the others. "Now lure him here with your screams."

"Don't trouble yourself," Beasts' voice announced from above.

Beast leaped down from the top ledge and landed next to Vanitas.

"You're here!" Belle exclaimed, relieved. Her tone then became that of anger. "No! You mustn't! I told you to leave this place! Leave me alone! I never want to see your face again!"

"Oooh," Vanitas winced.

"Belle..." Beast sadly said.

"What an awful thing to say!" Jiminy remarked.

"All right," Beast said, still sadly. "If that's how you feel, I understand. My hideousness is punishment for being selfish and unable to love. I was made into a monster, loved by no one... and I only became more selfish. That is... Until I met you, Belle. You're the only person who accepted me. Little by little, you warmed by cold, selfish heart. The memories of our days together are my most precious. I won't cast them aside. So I'm sorry, but I can't leave you here... even if you hate me for it. Consider it my final selfish act."

"Oh, Beast..." Belle said, softly.

"Well, well," Maleficent said, interested. "I never dreamed such ugliness could hide so beautiful a heart. This calls for a change of plan. Beast, I shall claim your heart instead of Belle's!"

Green fire surrounded her, and Vanitas stood up, machete in hand.

"No!" Belle exclaimed. "Please!"

Maleficent shot green fire at Beast, which he braced for. Vanitas slashed at it with his machete, but nothing happened. At the same time, Belle ran past Vanitas and in front of Beast, taking the fire to the chest for him. Light then flared transforming her into a crystal shaped heart which flew into the air, surprising everyone in the room.

"Well, so much for the change of plan," Maleficent remarked. "Belle's heart it is, after all. It seems her cold words spoke little of her true feelings. Ha ha ha, she loves you, Beast! I can feel it shining in her heart!"

"Bitch!" Vanitas exclaimed as he picked up his revolver.

"You fiend!" Beast roared. "Release Belle's heart at once!"

Maleficent was encased in green fire again. Vanitas fired a shot that went right through it while Beast simply lunged at her, also going through the fading fire.

"Where are you!?" Beast roared out to the open air.

"She went that way!" Sora exclaimed, pointing at the doorway at the top of the steps. "That's the way the shadows fled."

"What are you doing here?" Beast asked.

"No time to talk!" Donald quacked. "We gotta go after them right away!"

"You'd help me?" Beast asked.

"Hell, yeah," Vanitas answered.

"After what you just said, we _gotta_ help you," Goofy pointed out.

"Let's go get Belle's heart back!" Sora instructed.

"Right!" Beast exclaimed.

Sora and Vanitas made their way through rooms one more time until they reached the last door with a glowing crown on it. They ran through the light and into the chapel they had fought Maleficent before with their other friends, their weapons drawn. They reached the center where Maleficent was waiting and stood in their battle stances, Vanitas with his machete.

"You've done well to make it this far, Beast," Maleficent told him. "As your reward, I'll tell you why Belle rejected you. My dark magic requires hearts of utmost beauty. Belle was perfect. Deep in her heart, her love for you shone with uncommon radiance. But she guessed my plans. By denying her love for you, she put her heart beyond my reach."

"But she saved me!" Beast yelled. "She protected me!"

"She couldn't hide how she really felt," Sora said in thought.

"No matter how much she tried," Vanitas agreed.

"I've heard enough!" Beast yelled. "Release her heart! NOW! If you don't..."

"Hm hm hm..." Maleficent said in thought.

"Do not try my patience!" Beast roared at her.

"Don't you realize why I am telling you all this?" Maleficent asked. "Did you think it was out of kindness? I did it to erase your doubts. Now your heart is beginning to shine with love for Belle. I shall have your heart, too, monster!"

"Not if we stop you!" Sora exclaimed.

"You dare to challenge me?" Maleficent asked. "Pitiful fools!"

"That's what you think, bitch," Vanitas remarked.

Black and green energy expelled from her, covering her completely. Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas stood alone against the Dragon-Maleficent in the large chamber with thorns. A slight vision told Vanitas that Riku was facing his own Oogie Boogie at the same time, but as usual, the vision faded quickly. Sora quickly gave himself an extended combo and used one on the dragon's head before catching the green card with the Mickey emblem. Vanitas then grabbed the dragon's head as it started to attack, and Sora used the card to stop her. A small floating platform appeared in the air, which Sora climbed onto. He used Sonic Blade, which the platform assisted him with in sliding around, striking at the dragon's head.

The platform then helped him as he tried using Ars Arcanum, but his attack was quickly stopped by the dragon attacking with a card a higher number than the sleight. Vanitas managed to catch the dragon's head, then slashed at it a bit with his machete before Sora joined in with an extended combo. And then another extended combo, right before the platform vanished from under him. He landed next to Vanitas just as fire formed around the dragon's mouth. Vanitas then made a dome of his own fire appear around the two, which absorbed the fire from the dragon's mouth, protecting the both of them.

Once Vanitas made his fire vanish, he joined Sora in making a large fire orb appear for the sleight Firaga Burst. Sora knocked the orb into the air, which turned into dozens of smaller fire orbs which flew into the dragon's head, damaging it greatly.

"I didn't think that dragons that breathe fire got damaged by fire," Vanitas remarked.

"Neither did I," Sora agreed.

They both moved out of the way as the dragon snapped her teeth at them. Vanitas lobed another fireball at her head, while Sora picked up the green Mickey card again. He quickly jumped onto the platform after making it appear, as the dragon's green fire then covered the ground. Vanitas walked through the fire nonchalantly, but Sora stayed on the platform. Sora had already re-stacked his deck and was trying Ars Arcanum again. It had... pretty much the same effect, but then he did Sonic Blade again, which had a pretty high value, so he felt he was safe.

Sora jumped off of the platform just before it vanished and dropped him in the fire. He landed outside of the fire right before it faded. Vanitas slashed his fire-encased machete at the dragon's head, doing a bit of damage. Sora then jumped up and did one more extended combo before finishing the fight with Quake. As the fight ended, Vanitas had a vision of Riku finishing off his Oogie Boogie around the same time. They were each rewarded with Dragon Maleficent and Oogie Boogie enemy cards, respectably, which they each stored away for later.

As they walked away from the chamber, Vanitas mourned the loss of his burnt jeans, which now barely covered up to his knees.

"I gotta invest in fireproof material," he remarked.

They reached the center of the chapel and looked up just in time to see Belle's heart float down from the ceiling. It reached their level and in a bright flash of light, she reappeared. When she saw Beast, she jumped in surprise then put her hands together.

"Belle!" Beast exclaimed.

The two walked towards each other and embraced.

"Thank goodness," Beast said.

"Please forgive me," Belle begged Beast. "I had to be cruel to you. But no matter how I tried, I couldn't hide my true feelings..."

"I'm the one who should apologize," Beast told her. "For doubting you... I never want to remember feeling that way... so angry, so alone."

"Then don't," Belle told him. "Let's replace the sad memories with happier ones... starting now."

"Belle," Beast told her.

"There they go with the mushy stuff, a-hyuck!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Yeah, I think it's time we got on our way," Sora said.

"Agreed," Vanitas told them. "I gotta change my pants."

"Couldn't agree more," Donald interjected. "Let's keep moving."

They turned to the left and started to make their way to the exit hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt it was time to add more fire after some feedback, and figured what better place to do it than a dragon fight. Also, Vanitas might be acting like a bit of a goofball, but remember, he's been like that since the start!


	23. Memories on the Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanitas has a reunion with an old friend

Vanitas had stopped to change into his SHIELD outfit, which he insisted was necessary, along the way to the exit hallway. He did what he had first done on Earth 616 and fit his sling on his back and his guns on the belt, but kept his Fall Out Boy shirt on underneath the blue jacket. They walked through the doors of the exit hallway as they closed behind them. They were about halfway to the center of the room when darkness surged, signaling the arrival of an Organization member.

"Even!" Vanitas exclaimed, happily. "Good to see you, old buddy!"

"I wish I could say the same, Vanitas," Vexen sarcastically told him. "And it is Vexen now. And I have come to collect your debt, Sora."

Vanitas whined in sadness at his old associate dismissing him like he was nothing, in a joking manner.

"A debt?" Goofy asked, confused. "Sora, do you owe somethin' to this guy?"

"Come on, of course not," Sora told him, waving his arm to emphasize his point.

"Oh, but you do," Vexen told Sora. "You owe me for reuniting you with your former friend."

Sora was surprised by his words.

"You don't mean..." Sora started.

"Indeed, I do," Vexen told him. "I'm the one who brought Riku to you."

"Then..." Sora started. "You're the one... You're the one who's been controlling him! What have you done with him?"

"You created the clone, didn't you?" Vanitas asked, pissed off.

"I see no need to give you information about where Riku is," Vexen said, raising his left arm. "Or to let you know if this is the real one or not. After all..."

Blue light and ice flared in his hand, making a shield with wicked spikes appear in it. He smirked at the group over his raised shield.

"Why trouble you in your final hour?" he smirked.

Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas stood facing Vexen in the circular arena, Vanitas with his sledgehammer. Sora gave himself an extended combo and stopped Vexen's first attack with it. Vanitas then encased the heavy part of his hammer in fire and swung it, hitting Vexen in the chin with it, knocking him back with a groan. Sora then stopped the man's next attack with Sonic Blade. After sliding around and attacking, he tried to follow it up with Ars Arcanum, but was stopped before he could finish it. But Vanitas managed to protect Sora from Vexen's next attack by hitting him in the face with his fire covered sledgehammer, knocking the man back again.

They both had to move quick as Vexen moved to the center and started to do a sleight called Freeze. Sora rolled out of the way at the last second, causing the ice to freeze the air he was just standing. Vanitas then dropped his hammer and grabbed Vexen's shield with both hands. Vexen tried ripping it from his grasp, but Vanitas just covered the whole top in fire. Vexen gasped in surprise and let go of the shield, which melted in Vanitas' hands.

"What the hell kind of shield was that?" Vanitas asked.

"Shut up, you neanderthal!" Vexen snapped before punching Vanitas in the face.

Sora then used Quake to knock back Vexen right before he could forge a new shield. But once the shock wore off, that's exactly what he did. He then attacked Sora by twirling his shield in an arc, then making a large icicle appear out of the ground in an attack. Vanitas' sledgehammer then flew back into his hand from his telekinesis, and he covered the heavy part in fire again. Vanitas slammed his hammer into the shield, which shattered the shield. Sora then used Strike Raid which hit him twice, stunning him. Sora then followed it up with Firaga Burst, which damaged Vexen a bit.

While Sora healed himself with Cura, Vanitas decided to be mean and blast a lot of fire right in Vexen's face. Sora re-stacked his deck while Vexen made a new shield appear. Vanitas then hit the man with his sledgehammer before he could use Freeze again. Sora then used Blitz to attack Vexen three times, very strongly, following it up with two combo attacks. He then used Fire Raid, which didn't have as much of an effect that Vanitas expected. Sora then tried using Sonic Blade just as Vexen re-stacked his own deck.

Vexen then started an attack with three magic cards called Ice Needles. Sora ran as ice needles came out of the ground to attack him. Vanitas just melted all the ones that came near him with his fire. It wasn't easy, but Sora managed to use a 0 card to stop Vexen's attack. Sora then started the Lethal Frame attack to freeze Vexen with stop. Before Sora started his own attack, Vanitas blasted the man in the face with a fireball, then hit him three times with his fire encased sledgehammer. Sora then did the many slashes that came with the ability, then they stepped back as the spell wore off. Vexen took all of the damage at once, which finished him off, making him utter "You don't know a thing."

Light flared, and the two of them were back in the exit hallway, with Vexen backing away from them.

"As I expected, you weren't one to die very easily," Vexen remarked. He raised his hand and his shield disappeared.

"You think?" Vanitas sarcastically asked.

"As if we'd ever lose to you!" Sora remarked, pointing his Keyblade at Vexen.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Vexen told him. "Did you even notice? I was delving deep into your memory as we fought. And here..." He raised a world card with a bright looking city on it. "Look what I found. A card crafted from all the memories that are locked in the other side of your heart."

He tossed the card to Sora before darkness surged around him, signaling teleportation.

"Wait!" Sora exclaimed, catching the card.

"Get back here!" Vanitas exclaimed as the two ran forwards.

But the darkness had already vanished, much to their chagrin. All Sora could do was look at the card he had caught.

"Memories... in the other side?" he asked.

Vanitas studied the card, surprised as he recognized it.

"Twilight Town?" Vanitas asked, wondering how he knew the name.

As they walked up the stairs, Vanitas had another vision of Roxas and Xion. Roxas had dropped his Keyblade in battle, but then it appeared in Xion's hands, and she used it to dispatch the Heartless they were facing. After chuckling to each other, he took her up to the top of the clock tower, they ate some ice cream together, and Roxas explained that that was what he and Axel did, and how they were friends. He then insisted to her that once Axel got back, then the three of them would have ice cream together.

They reached the top floor right as the vision ended. The four stood in front of the stairs, with Jiminy on Sora's shoulder, as he brought out and examined the Twilight Town card.

"A card made outta memories from 'the other side of your heart'?" Jiminy asked. "Hmm, I wonder what it does."

"We'll find out soon enough," Sora assured.

"Hopefully," Vanitas said. "I'm starting to get confused a bit."

"Me, too," Donald said.

"Same," Goofy sighed out.

"Whatever the case," Sora continued. "It's the only one we have left. No other way to move forward."

Before they could walk up the stairs, Vanitas grabbed his head in pain as another vision started. He saw Axel, Larxene, and Marluxia standing together around the orb. And they didn't look happy.

"If Sora and Vanitas disappear, that would mess up the Organization's plans," Axel pointed out to Marluxia.

"I trust that you know what you need to do," Marluxia told him.

"Haven't a clue, really," Axel admitted, waving his hand as he turned away from the pink haired man. "Maybe you could spell it out for me."

"Vexen has clearly committed a treasonous act against the Organization," Marluxia told him. "You must eliminate the traitor."

"No taking that back later," Axel warned him before darkness surged, making him disappear.

Vanitas gasped as his vision ended.

"What'd you see?" Donald asked.

"From the looks of it," Vanitas started. "This Organization isn't the most loyal to each other. Larxene and Marluxia are up to something with Axel, and I think Vexen's getting in the way. So... things might take a dark turn in a bit."

"Marluxia, the guy with the pink hair, right?" Goofy asked, to reaffirm their earlier assessments of these people.

"Yep, the gay man," Vanitas told him. He smiled. "Hey, he's teamed up with Larxene, who's a bitch... The Gay Man and His Bitch!"

Vanitas laughed heartily, proud of his nicknames for the two. The others just rolled their eyes and walked up the stairs. Once he was done laughing, Vanitas followed them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although the increased fire was added last chapter by request, it was planned for both Vexen fights. He is aware that he's being mean about it, though, what with the guy being very dependent on ice.


	24. 12 Floor: Twilight Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes through a world that's new to all of them

The four walked through the light in the doors and walked out into a large town square with many shops around. Donald looked around curiously, Goofy nervously with his hand at his mouth. Sora and Vanitas just walked through it plainly, Vanitas remembering some of the way thanks to his visions.

"Gawrsh..." Goofy said. "Where are we, Sora?"

"Hmm..." Sora said in thought.

A large tram passed in front of them on the track as he thought about it.

"This place is kind of pretty," Vanitas commented.

"Agreed," Sora admitted. "But I dunno... I've never been here."

"Me neither," Donald admitted.

Jiminy jumped out of Sora's hood and landed on the ground.

"That can't be right!" he exclaimed. "Up 'til now, the only places we've been are from Sora's memory."

"Maybe so," Sora agreed. "But I definitely don't remember this."

"You might have forgotten this town just like the other stuff," Donald suggested.

"Maybe not," Vanitas countered. "Most of the visions I've seen involving Roxas placed him in this Town. This might be another way that you two are connected."

"How?" Sora asked. "How are we connected?"

"That, I don't know," Vanitas admitted.

"Everything's terrible," Jiminy exclaimed. "Our memories are practically gone."

"Way to kill the mood," Vanitas commented as Donald and Goofy looked down in sadness.

"We'll be okay," Sora told them, reaching into his pocket. "See, look at this..."

He pulled out his star shaped good-luck charm and showed it to them.

"Naminé's good luck charm!" Goofy exclaimed.

"There's a special memory that goes with this," Sora told them as he put it away.

"Oh, really?" Vanitas sarcastically asked as Sora walked forwards, past them.

While he trusted his friend to make the right decisions, Vanitas also knew that Sora was a little too gullible. When he believed in something, then there would be no changing his mind that easily. Someone's word wouldn't be enough, even if that person was a trusted friend. The only thing that would work would have to be cold hard proof, that he would see with his own eyes. Even if he tried telling Sora what he suspected, he already knew that his friend wouldn't listen to him.

"One night, when Naminé and I were little," Sora started as he stopped in front of the tram tracks and placed his hands on the back of his head. "There was this meteor shower. Naminé started crying. She said, 'What if a shooting star hits the islands'? So I said, 'If a shooting star comes this way, I'll hit it right back into outer space'!" He turned towards them and raised his right hand. "I was swinging this toy sword around the whole time." He pulled out the good luck charm again. "Naminé just smiled and said, 'Thanks.' And then she gave me this."

Vanitas then saw a new image. Behind Sora stood the girl that Vanitas remembered from his vision.

"Sora, I'm so sorry," Naminé said. "All this, because of me..."

But then she disappeared.

"Naminé said she had it ever since she was a baby," Sora explained.

"And she gave it to you?" Donald cooed. "Aww..."

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "So I promised her... From now on, I'll bring you good luck. I'll keep you safe. But then one day, Naminé left the islands... and I forgot about her all this time. I really let her down..."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow, knowing all this was bullshit. But how all this was still going on, Vanitas didn't know. Then something occurred to him. Naminé claimed that this was all her fault, but it didn't look like she was willingly working with the Organization. Did she have some kind of power over memories, these pricks found out, and they forced her to do what they wanted?

Before Vanitas could try to voice those thoughts, he and Sora were moving through the Castle Oblivion based rooms designed to look like Twilight Town. Along the way, Sora got to practice with his new sleight, Freeze, which had predictable results. The two of them eventually made it to the door with a glowing crown on it and walked inside. They walked out of the light, also walking out of a forest. What was in front of them surprised them.

The road ended in a small yard, with half of the yard was separated by a large wall with a tall gate, even though there wasn't a lock on the gate. The wall separated them from a large, old mansion. There were intricate designs along the outside walls, and crumpled arches in front of the mansion. This place had clearly been abandoned by the looks of it, as the place didn't exactly seem like a nice place to live.

They stopped and Sora looked around at the trees on each side of the yard.

"What's wrong?" Goofy asked.

"Something... feels really strange," Sora told them, looking up at the mansion.

"You're just now noticing that?" Vanitas asked, confused.

Sora ignored him.

"I'm sure I don't know this place," he continued. "But it's starting to feel like it's familiar to me..."

"You must have come here sometime before," Donald suggested.

"No," Sora told him. "And that's what's strange..."

He walked forwards a bit.

"It could be like with Naminé," Goofy suggested. "You forgot lots of other stuff... and that's why you remember this place now."

"That's not how it works," Vanitas told him. "If he's remembering things from before, then this world shouldn't be one of them. Before we started our journey, he had never left the islands. So he shouldn't know this world."

"Exactly my point," Sora agreed. "With Naminé... my memories... sort of came drifting back to me, a little piece at a time. But not now." He turned to face them. "It's not memories... just this idea that I must have been here before."

"So, feeling nostalgic?" Vexen's voice loudly asked from somewhere, surprising them.

They turned towards the gates to see Vexen appearing in the usual surge of darkness. They stood on edge together, facing him.

"Sora," Vexen slowly said. "A question, then, for you... Your memories of Naminé or your feelings here... which of the two of these is more real, I wonder."

"Naminé, of course!" Sora exclaimed. "Whatever it is that I'm feeling, I bet it's just another one of your mean little tricks!"

"You know, it's rude to assume that everything weird here is because of them," Vanitas said. "Just 'cause they're supposed to be bad guys doesn't mean that they're responsible for every bad thing in the world."

"For once, he's right," Vexen chuckled. "But the memory's wiles can be cruel. In its silence, we forget. In its obsession, it binds our hearts."

"Cut the riddles!" Sora exclaimed.

"That's not really much of a riddle," Vanitas commented.

"I told you," Vexen told Sora. "This place was created solely from another side of your memory. It is on the other side of your heart that the memory of this place exists. It is your heart that remembers."

"You're wrong!" Sora exclaimed, waving his arm to the side. "I don't know this place!"

"If you remain bound by the chain of memories," Vexen started. "And refuse to believe what is truly found inside your heart... then throw it away. You are not a Keyblade master... just a slave to twisted memories. Yes... exactly like my Riku."

Light flared, and his shield appeared in his left hand.

"Your existence is worth nothing!" Vexen snapped.

Vanitas wanted to point out that technically, Sora still wasn't a Keyblade Master, as he had never gone through all the training at this point. But he decided to keep that quiet and focus on the more pressing issues.

"Like _your_ Riku?" Sora asked in disbelief. "Worth nothing?"

He looked down and shook in anger.

"That's enough!" Sora snapped, looking back up at Vexen. " _You're_ the one who changed Riku! Every word you've said is a lie! I'd never throw away my heart!"

He summoned his Keyblade and stood in his battle stance. At the same time, Vanitas slipped his machete out of his sling and encased it with fire.

"You done fucked up, Even," Vanitas told Vexen in a reprimanding tone.

"I'm gonna take you down and save Riku and Naminé," Sora told Vexen. " _That's_ what's in my heart!"

Sora and Vanitas ran towards Vexen, Donald and Goofy disappearing during it. Sora started by immediately using a combo attack, two of the attacks getting blocked by the man's shield. They both blocked the Vexen's attack, and Sora used the opportunity to now give himself an extended combo, which he used. Vanitas slashed Vexen in the back with his fire encased machete, then smacked him in the head with the flat of the blade. After two more dodged attacks from Vexen, Sora tried using Ars Arcanum, which worked right until Vexen used a card with a higher value than the sleight.

After Vanitas protected Sora from another of Vexen's attacks, Sora used Quake to knock the man back a bit. Vanitas then slashed at Vexen's shield, purposely making fire appear along the top, which once again melted the shield.

"Make your shields out of better supplies," Vanitas told the man, before once again hitting him in the face with the flat of his machete.

"You imbecile!" Vexen angrily snapped at Vanitas before pointing his arm right at the ravenette.

Vanitas was suddenly encased completely in ice, freezing him in place. While Sora used Sonic Blade to attack Vexen multiple times, the fire from Vanitas' machete melted enough ice to uncover his right hand, which he used to make a large fire grow in it, surrounding the ice that encased him. He was free, and wet, within a few seconds. And with the fire so close, he was dry in just mere seconds afterwards.

Vanitas looked towards Sora to see that he had stunned a newly-shielded Vexen with Strike Raid, and had just launched up Firaga Burst. Multiple fireballs rained down on the man's head, which Vanitas added a few to. Sora then stunned Vexen with Strike Raid again before Vanitas blasted a big ball of fire in the man's face, doing significant damage. Sora then used the sleight Ragnarok to add even more damage, draining the man's health to nearly halfway. The then tried the sleight Ice Needles before Sora stopped him with a 0 card. Sora then stopped another of Vexen's attacks before he re-stacked his deck.

Sora then used an extended combo before Vanitas punched Vexen in the face with a fire encased fist. After that, Sora dodged Freeze before starting Sonic Blade again. Once he was finished sliding around and attacking, Vanitas used a slight combo attack with his machete encased in fire, doing quite a bit of damage before Sora followed it up with Blitz. While Vanitas grabbed Vexen's shield, Sora used Fire Raid to attack, causing the man to let go of his weapon. While Vanitas broke the shield over his knee, Sora followed it up with another extended combo, and another Fire Raid.

Vexen then successfully used Freeze on Sora, and Vanitas blasted a big fireball at his friend. He then raised his machete at Vexen, but then another shield appeared in Vexen's hand, blocking the attack. He then started a sleight that made a huge, sharp chunk of ice appear from the bottom of the shield. He slid towards Vanitas and slashed at him twice before jumping into the air and slamming the shield into the ground, starting a shockwave. Vanitas then grabbed Vexen by his coat, and lifted the man over his head before slamming him into the ground, hard. He then telepathically pulled his fallen machete to his right hand and moved to stab at Vexen on the ground, but then he moved out of the way.

Sora then used Sonic blade again before gathering the cards needed for Lethal Frame. Like last time, Vanitas knocked the shield out of Vexen's hand and let his friend start the Stop portion of the sleight. Vanitas slashed the man with his mock combo with his fire encased machete before letting Sora do his many slashes. While Vexen took the damage from the attack, Sora used a Donald card he had picked up. Since Vexen still wasn't completely finished off, they figured they would need the duck's help to finish him off. He appeared, and both he and Vanitas made large fireballs appear, which they combined. Before Vexen could react, Sora knocked the fireball towards him, causing a large explosion that finished off the scientist.

Sora was quickly given a Vexen enemy card that he stored away for later before they regarded the scientist. He had fallen onto his knees.

"Urrgh," Vexen moaned. "You have such strength, even at the mercy of your memory..."

"None of that matters!" Sora snapped at him. "Just put Riku back!"

Vexen laughed at that.

"Just put him back?" he asked.

"That's the clone, isn't it?" Vanitas asked.

Instead of answering, Vexen just struggled to stand up.

"The Riku you speak of..." Vexen said. "...has but one fate, to sink into darkness... and you will share that fate, Sora! If you continue to seek the girl, Naminé, the shackles will tighten, you'll lose your heart... and end up becoming Marluxia's pawn!"

This sort of helped Vanitas' theory. Whatever powers Naminé had, Marluxia planned on using her to make Sora's power his own.

"Marluxia?" Sora asked, remembering Vanitas' earlier words. "The gay man? What does Naminé have to do with..."

Both Sora and Vanitas' next words were cut off by a fire encased chakram flying between the two and hitting Vexen, causing black thorns to originate from him where he got hit. The hit made Vexen fall to the ground, groaning in pain. They turned around to see Axel lowering his arm to his side.

"Axel!" Sora exclaimed.

"Hey, buddy!" Vanitas said, waving his arm.

"Yo, Sora, Vanitas," Axel told them. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Eh..." Vanitas said, waving his arm to gesture 50-50.

Vexen groaned as he got off of his back and onto his hands and knees.

"Axel, why...?" he managed to cough out.

Axel crossed his arms as Vexen struggled to stand up.

"I came to stop you from talking too much..." Axel started. "...by eliminating your existence."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow at the redhead's words. Clearly, he wasn't the only one surprised and confused.

"No..." Vexen exclaimed, scared. "Don't do it!"

"We are just Nobodies who have no one to be, yet we still 'are,'" Axel told him with his arms crossed. "But now you can be nothing, instead of just being a Nobody." He smirked. "You're off the hook."

It surprised even Vanitas to hear such a cold tone from the guy who, just a short while ago, seemed carefree and fun-loving. Where had this deadly assassin come from?

"No..." Vexen exclaimed, downright terrified. "Please don't!" He whimpered. "I don't want to..."

Goodbye," Axel flatly said before snapping his fingers.

Sora and Vanitas both watched in surprise as fire encased Vexen for a few seconds. Once the fire faded, he was covered in grey smoke that rose into the air, along with some darker thorns. Lines rose into the air around him. They were both amazed and surprised to see the man fade completely into darkness.

"What are you..." Sora started. He turned back towards Axel angrily. "What _are_ you people!?"

Axel thought about that for a second.

"Don't know," he admitted. "I wonder about that myself."

"Geez," Vanitas commented as darkness surged around him, making him teleport away.

Vanitas quickly grabbed his head in the familiar pain of a vision. Axel had reappeared with Larxene and Marluxia.

"Nice work," Larxene praised him. "I say good riddance to that blabbermouth."

"Marluxia," Axel said. "You used Vexen to test Sora's strength, didn't you?"

"Not just Sora's," Larxene corrected him. "It was yours, too. We weren't sure if you actually had it in your bones to take out a fellow member." She walked over to Axel, smirking as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, I guess that you did. It's time to join up. Taking over the Organization will be like child's play with the three of us."

 _Geez, this bitch never shuts up,_ Vanitas thought.

Axel kept a blank face throughout Larxene's bad-guy monologue, so Vanitas summarized that Axel must have been acting like he actually supported them, or something.

"So that's where Sora comes in," Axel summarized.

"Of course," Larxene snapped, annoyed. "He wants to see Naminé, so why don't we just give him what he wants?"

"Rejoice, Naminé," Marluxia said after a second, looking over at the sad girl. "The time is near for you to meet the hero that you've been longing for."

Larxene walked over the the young girl to get a closer look at her sad face.

"I'm..." Naminé muttered. "...glad."

"But I'm warning you," Larxene said, kneeling down so she was eye-level with the girl. She gestured with her arms as she talked. "You'd better not do anything to betray Sora's feelings. Do you understand me, little one?"

"I understand," Naminé said as she looked down.

"All you need do is layer Sora's memories, and bring his heart closer to you," Marluxia told her.

Darkness surged around him and Larxene, and they both disappeared, leaving Axel with Naminé.

"Sora..." Naminé muttered loudly, garnering Axel's attention. She was looking down at a drawing of Sora in the notepad on her lap. "Even if you come for me... what then?"

 _Vanitas_ , Axel thought, which Vanitas heard in his head. _I don't know if you can hear me, but get here fast. You're right about Naminé being responsible for what's happening, but you have no idea what those two did to her to make her complicit. Hurry and get here, and you'll figure out everything._

The vision ended as they started moving through the floor, trying to find the exit hallway. As they walked, he had another vision of his friends in the basement. Zexion and Lexaeus were debating what to do with Riku, but he couldn't make out too much of what they were saying. He caught glimpses of their "Superior" in dire need of a hero of light, which is why they couldn't eliminate Sora. Lexaeus suggested they "obtain the darkness," which Zexion summarized to be Riku.

The vision cut to Riku entering the exit hallway to the floor he was on, and he gasped, seeing Lexaeus. Power surged around the man, and the two of them were suddenly in the circular arena, fighting. Riku managed to hold his own with his darkness mode and duels. Which was good, as Lexaeus seemed a _lot_ more powerful than Aeleus ever was. RIku managed to defeat him, but then Lexaeus smacked him into the ceiling with the giant weapon of his. After Riku landed on the ground, darkness surged around him, making him enter darkness mode, which he used to finish off Lexaeus. He faded away, admitting that this was a fight he shouldn't have started.

"Geez," Vanitas remarked as the vision ended.

"What's wrong?" Goofy asked.

"The Riku in the basement," Vanitas told them. "He's pretty powerful, 'cause he just took out Lexaeus."

"Wow," both Donald and Goofy said at once.

"Well, that doesn't matter," Sora told him as he led the way. "That's the clone, so we shouldn't concern ourselves with him, anymore."

"Sora," Vanitas said. "What if we've got it all wrong. What if the one in the basement is the real Riku, and the guy we've been fighting is the clone?"

"He's not!" Sora snapped. "I _know_ this has to be the real Riku. I can feel it in my heart!"

And there was the stubbornness that Vanitas expected. Instead of trying to argue with his younger lookalike, Vanitas just sighed out as he, Donald, and Goofy followed him to the exit hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got home early yesterday, so I decided to just roll with it


	25. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Vanitas fight "Riku" again, and Vanitas decides to just be downright open with his friend. Which has, predictable results.

As they neared the exit hallway, Vanitas had another vision of Roxas. The boy was waking up for the day (wait, how did time work in this castle?) and wondering out loud what his mission for the day was. He then looked up and said with a star struck face that he hoped it was with Xion.

_Aww, young love_ , Vanitas jokingly thought as the vision continued.

He continued to a very big grey room and heard from Demyx and Vanitas' old friend, Dilan, that a member or two at Castle Oblivion had been eliminated. Vanitas could see that Roxas was worried about Axel, as his previous visions told him that the two were friends. But all he got from that Saix dude was pretty much the "It's above your pay grade" excuse. To put salt on the wound, Roxas' mission for the day was with Xigbar, and from the looks of it, the guy still sucked, even in this Organization. The vision ended as they walked through the light into the exit hallway.

Sora and Vanitas walked through the doors into the exit hall to see "Riku" standing in the middle of the room, his sword in hand.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed, running towards who he believed to be his friend.

"You'll hurt Naminé if you go further," "Riku" told him.

"Not as much as The Gay Man and his Bitch are," Vanitas pointed out as they stopped standing across from "Riku."

"You still want to fight?" Sora asked. "But Vexen's gone, so now you're free!"

"It doesn't matter what happens to him," "Riku" snapped at him. "I'm protecting Naminé from you. That's what's in my heart."

The next time he spoke, he was a bit more gently to try to make Sora see his point.

"Sora, I made a promise to Naminé," "Riku" told him. "I promised to... keep her safe."

"You did?" Sora asked.

"Huh?" Vanitas asked, curious.

"There was a meteor shower..." "Riku" started to explain. "...this one night when she and I were little..."

Sora gasped in surprise at that, and Vanitas raised an eyebrow, curious.

"Naminé got scared and said, 'What if a shooting star hits the islands?'" "Riku" continued. "So I told her: 'If a shooting star comes this way, I will protect you!'" He raised up his sword to gesture what Sora had mentioned, gesturing with a toy sword.

"You made a promise!" Sora exclaimed. "With a toy sword!"

"What?" "Riku" asked, curiously as he lowered his sword. "How do you know about that?"

"Because..." Sora said. "...that was the promise _I_ made to her that night! I would protect her! _I_ said it!"

This helped Vanitas' theory. If Naminé really did have power over memories, then maybe they made her give the clone Riku here all these memories to fuck with their heads.

"Don't lie!" "Riku" snapped, waving his arm through the air. "You weren't the one there that night!"

" _You_ 're the one that wasn't there!" Sora snapped. "That was when she gave her good luck charm to _me_!"

"Her what!?" "Riku" exclaimed.

Sora reached into his back pocket and pulled out the yellow star charm, showing it to "Riku."

"See?" Sora asked.

"Riku" gasped in surprise.

"Tell me..." he said. "Where did you get that?"

Small lightning then struck at his forehead, and a blank look appeared on his face. He looked down and gripped his head in pain. After a second, he looked up.

"Sora..." "Riku" said. "Good try."

"Huh?" Sora asked as Riku reached into his back pocket.

"That must be a fake," "Riku" snapped, pulling out an exactly identical star shaped charm. "I've got the real one right here!"

"What the fuck?" Vanitas asked, as he and Sora looked from the charm in Sora's hand and the one in "Riku's" hand.

" _Two_ of them?" Sora asked in disbelief.

"Fakes should be destroyed!" "Riku" snapped as he put away the charm and stood in his battle stance.

They appeared in the arena again, Sora in his battle stance with his Keyblade, and Vanitas with his spear. Sora gave himself extended combo attacks and used one kind of immediately. Vanitas then stopped "Riku's" attack with the pole of his spear, then twirled it around, smacking the silver haired boy in the face. Sora then used Sonic Blade to do the usual, slide around to attack multiple times. "Riku" then used the sleight Dark Firaga to throw a big ball of white fire at one of them, but Vanitas knocked it aside with his staff before it could do any damage.

Sora then used two stunning sleights in a row, Strike Raid then Freeze, then used Sliding Dash to do a good amount of damage. After getting hit by two attacks from "Riku," Sora started a new sleight with Goofy. The dog appeared and knocked Riku into the air with his shield. Sora knocked him higher into the air, and Goofy jumped above "Riku." Goofy charged up his shield, and knocked the silver haired boy into the ground, hard, right into the fireball Vanitas made appear on the ground, which exploded on impact.

"Riku" then used the sleight Helm Split to repeatedly jump up and stab at the ground, causing shockwaves on the ground. One knocked back Vanitas, but Sora stopped the majority of the attacks with a higher sleight, Curaga. After using an extended combo, Sora then used Blitz to attack "Riku" three times. Vanitas then jabbed him in the stomach with the bottom of his spear, then twirled it around again, smacking him in the face with the sharp part, but he knew it wouldn't cause blood to run. What was the level of magic these guys had that protected them from getting hurt by sharp objects?

That didn't matter for long, as he smacked "Riku" in the face with the pole of his staff again, then twirled around, this time jabbing the silver haired boy in the stomach with the sharp point of his spear, Darth Maul style. Sora then started the sleight Ars Arcanum, attacking multiple times and with attacks of varying strength. For the first time in a while, Sora was able to finish the sleight, and in turn finishing the fight. "Riku" uttered "You're the fake..." as they reappeared back in the exit hallway.

Sora and Vanitas were standing across from a visibly tired "Riku," who was looking down and panting.

"Riku..." Sora said.

"Riku" just turned away from him and ran up the staircase, dropping the good luck charm. Sora and Vanitas ran over to it with Donald and Goofy, curious.

"Isn't that Naminé's good luck charm?" Donald asked.

"It's just like mine," Sora said as he picked up the card. "How'd he get this?"

The charm suddenly glowed very brightly, blinding all four of them in surprise. The light died down after a few seconds, turning into a world card for Destiny Islands.

"It turned into a card!" Goofy exclaimed.

Sora started walking to the staircase as Donald, Vanitas, and Goofy stayed back in thought.

"Aww," Donald said. "I don't understand what's going on..."

"I've started to piece together something that's going on," Vanitas told them.

"Let's just keep moving, okay?" Sora told them in front of the stairs. "It doesn't matter."

"It _does_ matter," Donald told him. "How can two of you have the same memory? You can't both be right."

"It's more than that," Vanitas summarized. " _Neither_ of them are right. I think Marluxia is having someone affect both of their memories, to try to put them at odds with each other. And the guy we've been fighting, that's not the real Riku, that's the clone. And whoever it is here that can affect memories made him forget that, just to mess with you."

"That's crazy!" Sora snapped. "I'm wrong? Fine, then don't believe me!"

"But Sora," Goofy told him. "We're just kinda worried."

"Then let's ask Naminé!" Sora snapped. "That should clear it up. Look, we don't have time to sit around. So let's _go._ "

"Sora, what happened to ya?" Goofy asked.

"What's _that_ mean?" Sora asked.

"Well, ya always get real touchy when it comes to stuff about Naminé..." Goofy started. "But before we came to this castle, you didn't even remember what her name was."

"Now Naminé is the only thing you talk about," Donald added.

Sora just looked down at their words.

"It doesn't make sense," Goofy interjected. "Maybe you should just slow down and think ahead about some of these things."

"Think ahead?" Sora asked in disbelief, looking up at his friends. "What is the matter with you guys? Do you want me to abandon her!?"

"Sora, you don't even know her!" Vanitas snapped. "Whoever's here with the powers over memories, they used her as a basis. Marluxia made whoever did it mess up your memories so that you think Naminé is the most important person to you! They changed up all your memories before, and made you forget the real person that's really most important to you. Like Vexen said, continuing to seek her out is only making you Marluxia's pawn!"

Sora took in Vanitas' words with shock on his face. He looked down, but when he looked back up, anger was evident on his face.

"That's bullshit!" Sora exclaimed.

Vanitas, Donald, and Goofy all gasped in surprise, Vanitas covering his mouth.

"No one has power over memories, it's all just the castle!" Sora snapped. "You guys do whatever you want! You can lay back and take a nap for all I care! _I'm_ going to find Naminé!"

"Sora!" The three called after him.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other, worried about him. Vanitas sighed out and ran after him up the stairs after a second. As he ran up the stairs, he saw two visions.

The first one was of Axel and Naminé in the chamber. Axel walked over to the sad girl in the chair.

"You're all that he's got left," Axel told her. "So then, if you don't stop this, no one will."

She gasped at that.

"But I..." Naminé said. "... It's too late."

"You shouldn't give up just yet," Axel told her. He turned away from her and walked across the room. "Say, Naminé. Have you noticed? Marluxia doesn't seem to be around."

She looked up, realizing his words.

"What are you..." Naminé started. "... saying?"

"Just that there's no one here who would want to get in your way," Axel said, not looking at her.

Naminé took in his words. She stood up and looked at the door, determined. She ran towards it.

"Just make it count," Axel told her as she ran past him.

Naminé opened the door and ran out, letting it close behind her.

"Now _this_ should be interesting," Axel said. "Sora, Vanitas, try to make it enjoyable. It's the least you guys could do for me, you know." He chuckled, but then grabbed in chest in surprise. "Hey, wait. I'm enjoying this." He looked up, smiling. "You guys _are_ something else!"

The second was of Roxas and Xigbar on their mission, but Roxas was too distracted in sorrow about Castle Oblivion, so he didn't see too much.

The visions ended and ran into the entrance hall of the 13th floor. Sora was already standing in the center, having snapped at Jiminy to keep quiet. Vanitas ran up to him and stood next to him.

"I thought you were staying back," Sora told him.

"I was," Vanitas confirmed. "But you've had too good an influence on me. I won't leave my friend to fight for himself. Especially not if he's being a dumbass."

Sora didn't say anything, just looking towards the doors. The two walked up the stairs to the doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, Vanitas has changed


	26. 13th Floor: Destiny Islands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Vanitas go through Castle Oblivion renditioned rooms of Sora's home-world

The two walked through the doors and exited the light. They came out and stood on a familiar beach, watching the waves come in on the sand. They were both surprised, as they knew the location.

"I'm not going crazy, am I?" Sora asked. "I know exactly where this is..."

"You are not," Vanitas confirmed. "You're getting dumber, but not crazier."

Sora gasped as the full scale of the familiar setting hit him.

"Yeah!" Sora exclaimed. "This is our island! Where Naminé and I used to play together!"

"It's where you grew up," Vanitas corrected him. "And where we first met."

"Heeey!" a voice on their right drew their attentions.

They turned to see three teenagers running towards them. One had wavy hair and a center-part, wearing black shorts, flip flops, and a vest that left his chest bare. The other wore big, baggy pants with a vest and a headband, carrying a volleyball. One look at this guy confirmed to Vanitas he was a hippie. The third was a girl wearing a yellow dress and a small, blue wristband on her left wrist, and had brown hair with spiked bangs. The three stopped in front of the two.

"Whassup, Sora!" the hippie told him.

"So whatcha wanna do today?" the girl asked.

"Hey, guys!" Sora told them. "Am I glad to see you, uh..."

"'Uh', what?" the center-parted guy asked.

"We got food on our faces?" the hippie asked.

"Please, Wakka," the girl turned towards him. "Only you could be dumb enough to not notice food stuck to your face."

"Hey, whoa!" Wakka exclaimed. "That's a low blow, ya?"

"I don't know, Wakka," the center-parted guy said. "I think Selphie's on the mark."

"Aw, not you, too, Tidus!" Wakka exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah," Sora exclaimed. "You're Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus, that's who you are!"

"Smooth," Vanitas commented.

"You hit your head?" Wakka asked Sora.

"And whose this handsome man that looks just like you?" Selphie asked, flirtingly looking at Vanitas.

"Uh, he's Vanitas," Sora told them. "And, no, I didn't hit my head. Just... thinking out loud."

"I know..." Selphie said. "You're thinking about _her_ again!"

"Ohhh, I get it," Tidus said. "Yeah, she's a total zombie when she's on his mind."

"That would explain why he's actin' all funny towards us," Wakka said.

"Or he could have found your stash, eh?" Vanitas joked, looking at Wakka with his arms crossed.

"How d'ya know about my stash?" Wakka urgently asked, his eyes wide.

"What?" Vanitas asked, curious.

"What?" Wakka asked, nonchalantly.

Selphie ignored that debate and walked over to Sora to look him in the eye.

"I bet you want us to take a hike so you two can be _alone_ , huh?" she asked.

"Umm," Sora started. "I guess."

"All right, all right," Selphie said. "We'll disappear for awhile. Go find her, cowboy." She looked over at Vanitas. "We'll watch over your brother for you."

"I'm not his brother," Vanitas corrected her. "And I'm sticking with him. Good-bye."

He grabbed Sora's shoulder to signify to the kids that they had to go.

"We'll try to be quiet while we _spy_ on you!" Tidus announced.

"Hey, Sora's serious," Wakka told him. "Give the guy some room.

"I'm only kidding!" Tidus exclaimed.

"See you later, Sora!" Selphie announced.

They turned around and ran back the way they came.

"Good-bye, dumbass children," Vanitas said, knowing they couldn't hear him.

The two made their way through the usual wonky rooms of Castle Oblivion, taking out Heartless along the way. Sora used a variety of attacks along the way, and Vanitas started using his firearms along the way, taking most out with just one blast from his shotgun. They reached the usual room with a glowing crown on it and walked through the light. They ran out onto the wooden bridge and onto the mini island with the Paupu Tree that Vanitas had fought Heartless together for the first time on. They walked off the bridge to find Riku. Or, rather, an illusion of the real Riku.

"Hey, Sora," Riku told him. "What's the big rush? Who's this?"

"I know you..." Sora said, crossing his arms. "You're Riku!"

"Thanks for remembering me," Riku joked. "It's been, what, a couple of hours?"

"Er, never mind," Sora said. "This is Vanitas. V for short. But are you okay? Are you still under his control?"

"What are you _talking_ about?" Riku asked, placing a hand on his hip.

"Illusion," Vanitas whispered to Sora to remind him.

"Oh, right," Sora remembered. "I get it. You must be the Riku from my memories."

"'The Riku from my memories'?" Riku asked, confused. "Sounds like you're stuck in the land of make-believe."

"When is he not?" Vanitas asked.

"True," Riku agreed.

"I guess I am," Sora reluctantly agreed as they laughed at him.

"Ha ha, you're such a kid," Riku told him. "How are you gonna take care of _her_ if you act like that?"

"Hey, speaking of her," Sora started to ask.

The entire place suddenly shook. The three boys looked around in confusion, and Vanitas pulled out his revolver.

"What's happening!?" Sora exclaimed.

"How should I know!?" Riku asked, worried.

"As if you don't remember," Vanitas muttered.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good!" Riku exclaimed. "I'm gonna go warn the others!"

He ran past the two and started going up the bridge.

"Then I should go..." Sora started.

"I know, I know!" Riku exclaimed, turning to look at Sora. "It's your job to look after her. He'll help you. Sora, V, go!"

"Okay!" Sora exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Vanitas told his younger doppelgänger.

They ran up the bridge after Riku. Suddenly, the two of them were on a large floating platform, similar to when they had first fought a giant Heartless together. They looked around nervously at the mess of land they were standing on.

"The island!" Sora exclaimed.

Vanitas held his revolver in both hands as he followed Sora to the edge of the land. They looked over the ledge, surprised and amazed at the destruction below them. But then they looked up, realizing something. They turned around to see the Darkside appear high above both of them, looking mighty angry. Light flared, and Sora was in his battle stance with his Keyblade drawn.

The Darkside started things out by punching the ground, making a pool of darkness appear that summoned Shadows. The Darkside kept its fist down as Sora used an extended combo attack to attack it. Actually right in the fist. Vanitas took the high road and shot his revolver right at the Darkside's head, emptying it. Sora used another extended combo before he picked up the card with a green Mickey emblem on it, preparing Ars Arcanum.

Vanitas replaced his revolver with his AK-47 as Sora used the Mickey card to make pillars appear in the battlefield, one of them moving him close to the head. So, Sora didn't hesitate to use Ars Arcanum to its fullest extent in his attacks to the head, and followed it up immediately with Ragnarok. While Sora re-stacked his deck, Vanitas fired his rifle right at the Heartless' head. But then the Darkside rested back on its knees, then had the familiar orbs of darkness shoot out, at a much faster rate than he ever did before. They both dodged the blasts while Vanitas fired bullets at the Heartless' head.

Once the Darkside punched at the ground again, Sora didn't hesitate to use another extended combo attack while Vanitas stabbed at it with the bayonet tip. The punch didn't cause another pool of darkness to appear again, but it did cause a big shockwave that they dodged. Vanitas' rifle then clicked empty, and both he and Sora dodged it as the Darkside reached his fist into the ground and pulled out a large orb of darkness that he launched into the air. Sora managed to help Vanitas knock one fireball at the Heartless' head that exploded on impact before they had to start running to avoid the falling orbs of darkness that tried hitting them.

Once the attack finished, the Darkside tried punching the ground again, which Vanitas caught with his bare hands. He grunted at the exertion of holding up the massive fist while making fire appear in his hands, causing a good amount of damage to the boss. Sora then picked up another Mickey Emblem card, which he used to make the pillars appear again. He started the sleight Holy to launch beams of light into the air that came down to attack. Enough of them to the head ended the fight, and he was rewarded with a Darkside enemy card that he stored away for later.

Light flared, and the two were then looking up at where the Heartless used to be.

"Okay," Sora assessed. "I have to keep her safe... Naminé! Can you hear me?"

Vanitas sighed out at his friend, and turned to look behind them, sensing a new presence. Sure enough, the blonde girl in the white dress from his visions was standing a few feet behind them. Following his friends gaze, Sora turned to see Naminé standing right behind them.

"Naminé," Sora announced, relieved.

He ran towards her, and stood in front of her, smiling.

"Sora..." Naminé said. "You really came for me."

Sora nodded and took her right hand in his hands. Vanitas raised an eyebrow as he walked over to where his friend was talking to this girl.

"It's you," Sora confirmed for himself. "It's really you. I've been through so much just to see you."

"Yes," Naminé said. "I wanted to see you, too. But this isn't right. I messed up. I wanted to see you... But this isn't the right way."

"You think?" Vanitas asked, sarcastically.

"Naminé?" Sora asked, curiously.

"I was lonely for so long," Naminé admitted. "I just couldn't bear it anymore. So I called out to your heart and had you come all the way out to this place. You came for me and I'm so... so happy, but... but to your heart I had to..."

She didn't finish.

"Had to what?" Vanitas asked.

"Don't worry," Sora told her, smiling. "I'm here because I promised that I would protect you."

"Sora," Naminé said. "Thank you." She pulled her hand out of his hands. "And I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to be in this picture."

Sora was confused.

"I told you," Vanitas told his friend.

"That's true," Naminé's voice behind them agreed. The two turned to see a more see-through version of Naminé standing a few feet behind them.

"Are we high?" Vanitas asked.

"Naminé!?" Sora exclaimed instead of answering.

"That isn't me," the see through Naminé told them. "I'm not there."

"I don't really exist in your heart," the solid Naminé told Sora. "Vanitas was telling the truth."

"I don't exist in anyone's heart," the see through Naminé added.

"I never have existed anywhere," the solid Naminé aded, further confusing the two lookalikes.

"What," Sora started, looking at both the Naminés. "What are you saying? What's gotten into you? Weren't we inseparable, always together? But then you had to go away... I came here so I'd never lose you again!"

"Was it really me you wanted to see?" the see through Naminé asked.

"Yeah, dumbass," Vanitas told Sora. "We came here to find Riku and Mickey."

"Despite that," Sora told Vanitas, looking between the two Naminés. "Of course it was you I really wanted to see! I know I've forgotten a lot of things in this castle, but never anything about you!"

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the good luck charm.

"Look!" he exclaimed. "You gave this to me, didn't you?"

"You have it!" the solid Naminé exclaimed happily. "My good luck charm."

"Ohhh," Vanitas said, in understanding. "I get it."

"No, Sora!" the see through Naminé exclaimed. "You can't believe me!"

The solid Namine grabbed her right wrist with her left hand behind her back and turned away from Sora, further helping Vanitas understand.

"What am I supposed to do..." Sora said, looking down, sadly.

"Think, Sora," the see through Naminé told him. "Think just one more time. About who's most special to you. Call out to that piece of memory that glimmers faintly deep inside your heart. No matter how far away the light gets, your heart's voice will always reach it."

"Think about it, Sora," Vanitas insisted to his brunette friend. "Think about the truth."

"Who's most special to me?" Sora. He smiled as he looked in the good luck charm in his hand. "That's an easy one. It's you, Nami-"

He was cut off when the charm glowed very brightly, blinding both him and Vanitas. When the light faded, the charm had reverted back to its original form of seashells, one having a cocky smile near the end of one. Sora gasped at the sight, and turned to look at the solid Naminé. Slowly, before the two's eyes, she faded back into Kairi, who looked over her shoulder at Sora with a smile on her face.

"The illusion," Vanitas started. "Of the person who's really most special to you."

Sora just looked back down in the charm in his hand as light transported them back to a more stable part of the island.

"Who," Sora started. "Who was that? I can't remember her, but she feels so... familiar."

"That was Kairi," Vanitas told him.

Sora just took in the name, but Vanitas could see no familiarity of it in his friend's eyes. He then saw that Naminé was nowhere to be seen.

"Naminé?" he asked. "Naminé!"

"We have to find her," Vanitas said. "Hopefully she'll shed some light on this situation."

Sora nodded as he picked up an Oathkeeper attack card to store away for later.

Vanitas saw another vision of Roxas pretty quickly. The boy who looked like his friend destroyed a Heartless and asked Xigbar what happened to them. Xigbar explained that the hearts went to Kingdom Hearts, which Vanitas did not remember ever being a thing. When Roxas then asked what happened when a Nobody was destroyed, in which Xigbar explained that since Nobodies were never meant to be in the first place, nothing was left of them, meaning he wouldn't see anybody they lost at Castle Oblivion again. This made Roxas sad, as he wanted to see Axel again. Xigbar went through their corridor of darkness, but before Roxas could follow him, he collapsed onto the ground.

Vanitas gasped as the vision ended. He sighed out at everything that was going on, and wished everything went back to being simple when he was a kid. But he decided to settle for how his life currently was and followed Sora to the door to the exit hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting close, guys


	27. False Memories and Real Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora finds out the truth about a few things, and Vanitas does his best not to gloat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I've been ready for this chapter for a long time, like since damn near the beginning

Sora and Vanitas ran through the doors of the exit hallway to see Naminé waiting for them with her back to them in the center of the room.

"Naminé!" Sora exclaimed as he and Vanitas came to a stop a few feet behind her. "It isn't you. Vanitas was right. The person most special to me... It's not you... Right?"

"No," Naminé confirmed.

"I'll accept your apology whenever you're ready," Vanitas told him.

"The girl you really care about..." Naminé confirmed. "The one who was always with you..." She turned to face him. "It's not me. It's her."

"But then who..." Sora started. "Who is she? Vanitas said her name is Kairi, but I don't recognize it." Naminé looked down while Sora crossed his arms in thought. "If she's so special to me, then why can't I remember?"

Vanitas looked at Naminé expectantly, knowing she was about to tell him the truth.

"Because I went into your memories," Naminé started to explain. "And-"

"Let _me_ explain this," Riku's voice announced from the staircase.

"Plain and simple," the replica told them as he walked towards the three.

Sora and Vanitas prepared themselves to fight.

"Your memory is a train wreck," the replica told Sora as he stopped in front of Naminé. He then gestured with his sword as he continued to talk. "You're not the one who's meant to protect Naminé. It's supposed to be me! But you and your messed-up memories are always in the way, Sora!"

He stood in his battle stance, and he, Sora, and Vanitas were in the circular arena. Sora stood in his stance with his Keyblade, and Vanitas held his machete in his right hand, and his axe in his left hand. In the replica's free hand was pulsing darkness, which was definitely not there before. Sora gave himself extended combos and immediately used one on the replica. The replica then pulled back and threw out a ball of Dark Firaga, which Vanitas slashed through with his fire-encased machete. Vanitas then raised his axe and attacked the replica in the shoulder with it.

The replica raised his sword to attack Vanitas, but Sora then used two freezing sleights in a row, Strike Raid and Freeze. With him stunned, Sora used Ars Arcanum to its fullest extent, the replica to preoccupied getting attacked to stop with one of his cards. Sora used another extended combo before Vanitas kicked the replica in the head, then slashed him in the chest. The replica tried slamming his sword into the grown, but Vanitas caught it with both of his weapons. He slashed each weapon in opposite ways from each other, then head-butted the replica, making him fall back.

"Why haven't I done this before?" Vanitas asked, regarding his two weapons.

Sora then stunned the replica with another Strike Raid, then used Ragnarok to attack him with the many projectiles. Once that was over, the replica used the sleight Helm Split to attack the ground multiple times, making a shockwave come out every time. After being surprised with the attack, Sora dodged the many other strikes before stunning the replica with another Strike Raid. While he was stunned, he used the Elixer item card to re-stack his entire deck from the start of the fight.

Vanitas then put the replica into a headlock with the handle of his axe, making sure to add pressure to make sure he choked a bit. But then the replica suddenly lurched forwards, throwing him onto the ground in front of him.

"How strong are you?" Vanitas asked the replica from on the ground.

"Shut up," the silver haired replica snapped at Vanitas before pulling back his sword to attack.

Sora saved Vanitas from the attack by using Sonic Blade to attack, sliding around multiple times, knocking him back. Vanitas stood up and smacked the replica in the head with the side of his axe. While he was distracted with Vanitas, Sora stunned the replica with Strike Raid again before starting up Tornado. After being picked up and slammed back down hard, the replica was stunned once again.

"Man, you've stunned him a _lot_ during this fight," Vanitas commented.

"If it works, it works," Sora lamented as he started Quake.

The ground shook, finishing off the replica as he muttered "This isn't... the end." Sora was gifted a Riku-Replica card that he stored away for later before light flared, taking them back to the exit hallway. The replica fell to one knee, and Sora ran up to him, concerned. Vanitas held up his machete, ready for anything.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed.

"Want some more?" the replica asked, darkly.

Darkness blasted out of the replica's free hand and knocked the two on their backs.

"Sora!" Naminé exclaimed, worried.

The replica just lowered his hand and walked over to the downed two.

"Riku..." Sora managed to get out.

"Looks like I win," the replica snapped.

Vanitas raised his hand, trying to make the telekinesis work. It blew his hair back, but did nothing else.

"Riku, stop!" Naminé exclaimed.

"You are through!" Riku exclaimed, raising his sword.

"I said _stop_!" Naminé snapped, closing her eyes.

Lightning flashed at the replica's head, and his face went blank. He fell to his knees, then onto the ground, dropping his sword.

"Riku?" Sora asked, sitting up. "Riku! RIKU!"

He got onto his hands and knees to look at the replica more closely. He then looked up at Naminé.

"What did you do?" Sora asked her. "What did you do to him?"

All three of them were surprised when darkness surged, and Larxene appeared.

"Broke her heart," she answered. "I'd say more like she smashed it, really."

"Thanks for that clarification, bitch," Vanitas sarcastically marked.

"Smashed..." Sora started. "...his heart!? Then... what's gonna..." He stood up. "What's gonna happen to Riku?"

Larxene laughed evilly at him.

"Oh, you're so much fun to watch," Larxene told him. "If it's Riku you're worried about, then don't. Because Riku was never really here."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"I already told you!" Vanitas snapped at his friend, annoyed, as he stood up.

"You really should listen to your friend once in a while," Larxene told him with a cocky smile on her face. "Even if he is a dumb-motherfucker."

"Quit the games!" Sora snapped as he charged her with his Keyblade.

Sora slashed his Keyblade at Larxene, which she dodged. She then kicked him in the chest, and knocked him back on his back. Vanitas then raised his machete and encased it in fire. He raised it over his head and swung it down to her head. She then caught it and moved his arm to the side. She followed it up by kneeing him in the stomach, then kicked him in the chest, knocking him back. Vanitas grunted as he landed next to his friend, his machete clattering to the side.

"All right," Larxene sighed out. "If you really want me to spell it out for you. I know it'll kill you to hear this, but I think I can live with that." Vanitas gave her the finger as he and Sora struggled to get up onto their backs. "That thing lying there is just a puppet that Vexen made as an experiment. No more than a toy. It's laughable, really. It called you a fake, but _it_ was a fabrication all along."

"Not Riku?" Sora asked in disbelief. "A fake!?"

Vanitas grabbed Sora by the back of his head, pulling his head closer as he yanked his friend's hair.

"Listen to me, next time!" Vanitas roughly snapped at his friend.

"All right," Sora winced as Vanitas pulled at his hair. "Okay, I get it, I'm sorry."

"It was only finished recently," Larxene continued, laughing at their conflict. She bent down and picked up the replica, holding it up by the back of its neck. "You get it? Its memories with Naminé were just planted, not real."

She tossed the replica to the side, and it landed roughly on the ground, not even wincing.

"Yep," Larxene continued. "That means, all this time, it's been picking fights with you over memories... that were counterfeit, trumped up, and completely bogus."

Larxene turned towards Naminé and placed a hand on her hip.

"Isn't that right, Naminé?" she asked the short blonde haired girl. She grabbed the girl's chin and made her look her in the eyes. "Oh, so cute... but behind this little face, you do awful things."

"Because you made her do them!" Vanitas snapped, garnering the taller blonde's annoyed attention. "You abused her, forced her to use the powers she has to tear apart his and Sora's memories and into what you wanted them."

"What?" Sora asked in disbelief.

"Man, you are so stupid," Larxene told Sora. "You really should listen to him more often, because he was right. Don't you get it now? That's what Naminé's powers are about! She can enter, rearrange, and even create new memories, of anything, even things that never happened. The girl you've been trying to protect all this time... is really a manipulative witch who shackles people's hearts!"

"Bitch, I just said!" Vanitas snapped at her. "You made her do all of that as part of yours and the Gay Man's plan!"

"The Gay Man?" Larxene asked, confused.

"Marluxia!" both Sora and Vanitas answered. Vanitas elaborated, "The guy with pink hair and flower petals!"

"Heh," Larxene chuckled. "That's actually pretty good."

The full scale of what Larxene and Vanitas were saying then occurred to Sora.

"You're both telling the truth," Sora said. "So... my memories... are all..."

"Oh, you do get it!" Larxene cockily exclaimed. "Lies, lies, all lies! Just the illusions we made Naminé put into your head, nothing more. Binding you in the chains of your own memory was central to our trap. It makes me tingle to think how easily you were duped."

"TMI," Vanitas remarked, raising a hand. "I just prefer nude scenes in horror movies."

"Shut up," Larxene told him, annoyed. She looked back at Sora. "So close to it... we were almost there. This was our only chance to turn the Keyblade master into our puppet, but... That jerk, Axel... he used Naminé to betray us!"

She raised her hands, and her knives appeared in flashes of lightning between her fingers. Sora grunted at the sight.

"So, now, I'm left with no choice but to eliminate you!" Larxene announced.

She started to walk towards them.

"You'll pay..." Sora muttered.

"I'll make sure of it," Vanitas added.

Naminé ran past Larxene and stood between her and the two doppelgängers, raising her arms to block her from the two.

"Huh?" Larxene asked. "It's a little late for the witch to grow a conscience. Last time I checked, _you're_ the one who fooled around with his memories creating this mess."

During Larxene's words, Sora struggled up onto his hands and knees, followed by Vanitas.

"I know, but..." Naminé started.

"I should tell you that I'm in an _extremely_ foul mood," Larxene told the girl, causing lightning to flare around her. "Thanks to you, all our plans are ruined!"

She smacked Naminé aside, and she landed next to the Riku Replica.

"Naminé!" Sora exclaimed, reaching for the girl.

"What's this?" Larxene asked. "Are you upset? And you don't even actually know her!"

"Maybe not," Sora agreed. "But still...I made...a promise."

Sora and Vanitas forced themselves onto their knees.

"What?" Larxene asked, confused.

"A promise I made to Naminé to keep her safe," Sora told her. The two helped each other stand up. "Maybe my memories are fake. But the promise is real to me." Sora fell back onto one knee. "That's why... I'll keep it."

"Even at the mercy of your memory," Vanitas commented, smiling. "You still manage to be you: worried for others and willing to do the right thing."

Larxene just frowned at his words.

"Hmph," Larxene grunted. "You're such an idiot. There is no promise and there never was! You're just delusional. Must you insist on playing the hero? Whatever. If that's the way you want it... You're going down alone!"

She pulled back her knives for a stab, but then she dodged an attack from a familiar looking shield. Goofy ran past Sora and Vanitas, and Curaga was used on both Sora and Vanitas.

"Not if we can stop you!" Donald exclaimed as he ran past Sora and Vanitas.

Sora stood up while Vanitas raised his hand up to his fallen machete. It flew easily into his left hand.

"Now it works," Vanitas commented. He stood next to the two anthropomorphic animals.

"Donald!" Sora exclaimed. "Goofy! You found me and V!"

"Of course we did!" Goofy told him. "We were worried about you!"

"And we promised!" Donald told him. "We promised that we would protect you!"

"You make it pretty fucking hard," Vanitas added. "But, hey, it's our jobs that are definitely worth living."

Sora smiled at the three of them as Vanitas pulled out his baseball bat with his right hand. Him, Donald, and Goofy turned towards Larxene.

"You won't ever be alone," Goofy told Sora while also frowning at Larxene. "It's always been the four of us and we stick together..."

"And that is how it's going to stay!" Donald snapped at Larxene.

"Okay... have it your way," Larxene told them, smile on her face. "More pain for you means more fun for me!"

"I was about to say the same thing to you, bitch," Vanitas told her.

Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas were facing Larxene in the circular arena. Sora was in his battle stance, Vanitas with his baseball bat and machete. Sora gave himself extended combos with the enemy card, then got hit with one of Larxene's thrown knives. Sora started a combo attack, which was interrupted by Larxene with a 0 card. Vanitas then hit Larxene in the face with his bat, then slashed her across the chest with his flaming machete.

"What the hell?" Larxene asked. "Didn't your mom tell you not to hit girls?"

"I believe her exact words were..." Vanitas said in thought. "...'If she's helpless and barely speaks, then don't lay a finger on her. But if she's malicious and willing to harm others, then beat the shit outta that bitch'!"

"I wanna meet your mom," Sora said before using the Sleights Strike Raid then Freeze on Larxene.

Sora then used Quake to shake the ground, knocking her back very strongly. The damage was greatly increased by the Freezing. After Vanitas knocked the knives out of Larxene's left had with his bat, Sora then used Ars Arcanum to its fullest extent to attack her. Vanitas was legitimately surprised that Larxene didn't do anything to stop the attack, especially since she had a sleight ready, herself. Sora then stunned her with Strike Raid, then rose up into the air, preparing to use Ragnarok. But then the stun wore off, and she stopped his attack with her own sleight, which Sora then stopped with a 0 card.

Vanitas then held off Larxene with his weapons while Sora re-stacked his deck. He blasted fire into her face out of his machete, then smacked her in the stomach with his bat, then hit her in the face with it. Larxene moved to kick him, but Vanitas caught her leg with both hands, even with a weapon in each hand. He turned her in the air, launching her onto the ground, hard. She got onto her hands and knees, but before she could get up, Vanitas kicked her right in the head, knocking her back into one of the pillars, hard.

As Larxene stood up, Sora then used another extended combo on her, which was followed up by another extended combo. Unfortunately, it was interrupted by Larxene attacking with a 0 card, which hit Sora. He then used Strike Raid to stun her again before using Sonic Blade to slide around attacking her. As Sora used the last attack, he knocked her back, right into the vicinity of Vanitas. Vanitas raised his baseball bat with both hands, and knocked her with it, knocking her back into another pillar on the opposite side of him.

"Home run!" Vanitas exclaimed, resting his bat on his right shoulder and raising his left fist in excitement.

Sora then used a Goofy, Donald, and attack card together, which they hadn't done in a while. Donald and Goofy appeared, and Donald, Sora, and Vanitas lifted Goofy up as if he was a battering ram. They charged Larxene and attacked her, multiple times, even knocking her into another pillar. When Donald and Goofy had to disappear, Sora then used Blitz to attack her three times, strongly.

Vanitas then launched a large ball of fire at her, which exploded, knocking her back. Sora then got three cards for one more sleight, Zantetsuken, which finished her off, making her utter "This... can't be happening!" Sora was gifted with a Larxene enemy card that he stored away for later before they were transported back to the exit hallway.

Larxene was clutching her chest in pain.

"No," she weakly said. "No! I refuse to lose to such a bunch of losers!"

"Technically, this is the _second_ time you've lost to us," Vanitas pointed out. "So doesn't that make _you_ the loser?"

Vanitas smirked cockily at her as lines appeared in the around her, followed by smoke and thorns.

"I think I'm...I'm fading!?" Larxene exclaimed. "No, this isn't...the way I..." The smoke got stronger around her, followed by more thorns. "I won't... _allow_..."

She looked down as the smoke got even stronger, completely engulfing her. The smoke and thorns flew up into the air, and after a few seconds, they were gone entirely.

"Oh man," Vanitas said. "The Gay Man's gonna be _pissed._ "

The four of them then turned and walked towards Naminé, who was leaning down in front of the still unresponsive replica.

"You must be Naminé!" Goofy exclaimed. "It's good to meet ya. We're friends of Sora's and my name is-"

"You're Goofy," Naminé finished for him. Then she looked at Donald. "And you're Donald, right?"

"Yeah, but how did you know that?" Donald asked.

"Like I said downstairs," Vanitas told Donald and Goofy as Sora looked down, upset. "The Gay Man and his Bitch made someone go into your guys' memories and change things up, and make him think Naminé was the most important person in the world to him. And well..." He looked at Goofy. "...that person happened to be Naminé."

"Gee, there sure are a lot of questions..." Jiminy said from Sora's shoulder. "Naminé, I'm sure this probably won't be easy for ya, but could ya tell us what happened?"

"Of course," Naminé told them. "It's my fault, after all."

She stood up and faced the four (five, counting Jiminy on Sora's shoulder?) and started explaining. "I took the people and and memories that were inside Sora's heart... and little by little, I replaced them with false memories."

"Hey," Donald said. "What about Sora's promise?"

"Made up," Naminé admitted. "It was fake. Sora never really promised me anything. Me being with him on the islands... that was just a lie, just like everything else. We never met. I was never Sora's friend..."

"And you were never anything more," Sora assessed, looking down. "Either..."

"No," Naminé confirmed. "You see, in all of your true memories, I was never really there."

"Gee," Jiminy said. "Then that must mean that it was your magic that made the rest of us lose our memories, too."

"As a form of covering their bases, I guess," Vanitas suggested. "But it wouldn't work on me because of me not having my life force."

"He's right about that," Naminé confirmed. "If you had it, I probably could fix your memories. I'm sorry."

"It's all right," Vanitas told her. "I'll figure it out."

"Is there any way for us to ever get our memories back?" Jiminy asked.

"I can fix everything if we go to the fourteenth floor," Naminé confirmed. "But, Marluxia, he..."

"The pink haired Gay Man," Jiminy summarized. "Was he the fellah who made you tamper with all of our memories?"

"If I didn't obey, he said I'd be locked in this castle forever," Naminé told them. "I've been alone for so long..."

"So ya did what he told ya to do because you were lonely?" Goofy asked.

"Well, threatening to lock her in this place forever probably didn't help things," Vanitas commented.

"I'm so sorry..." Naminé said, looking down.

"Don't be," Sora told her. "Please don't cry..."

"Oh," Naminé said. Of course. I know I really don't have the right to."

"That's not what I meant!" Sora hurriedly told her.

"What?" Naminé asked.

"It's like this," Sora said, turning away from her and crossing his arms in thought. "I'm really not happy about you messing with my memories. But...you know: I can't really get mad at you for it, either. These memories you gave me... In my head, I know they're lies... but they still feel right. Like the promise I made." He smiled and placed his hand over his heart. "I said I would protect you, and that I wouldn't make you cry... not ever. Naminé, if you cry now..." He turned towards her and placed his left hand on the back of his head. "...I'll feel guilty, like I let you down. So don't cry... please. Until I get my memories back, smile and try to be happy. It's easier on me that way."

"Sora..." Naminé said.

"Oh, brother!" Donald exclaimed. "That's a bit much."

"A bit?" Vanitas asked. "That was literally the corniest thing I've ever heard."

"It's okay," Goofy told him. "Sora always gets like this every time he's around a girl!"

"Aw, cut it out!" Sora exclaimed, raising a fist slightly. "I thought you both lost your memories, too!"

Donald chuckled at that.

"Too bad," Donald told him, smiling. "Good friends don't forget the good stuff!"

Goofy and Vanitas laughed at that.

"Come on..." Sora said as he rubbed his lip, embarrassed.

"That's not entirely true," Vanitas interjected. "You forgot about the 500 munny you owe me."

"I did?" Donald asked.

Vanitas looked up in thought.

"Let's say 'yes'," Vanitas said, smile on his face.

Everyone, including Naminé laughed at that.

"There!" Sora announced, pointing at her. "That's it! That's the Naminé I remember. Yeah... I really liked it when you used to smile. Of course, that was really only in my fake memories. But what I'm feeling now definitely isn't fake. It's real."

"Thank you," Naminé told him.

"Well, then," Sora said. "Let's go."

"Oh, boy!" Donald exclaimed. "I can't wait to get my memory back!" He and Sora pumped up their arms in excitement.

"Naminé, Marluxia is gonna be up there," Goofy warned her. "So maybe you'd better stay down here."

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "Maybe you could look after Riku? We'll come get you when it's over."

"Okay," Naminé agreed.

"All right," Vanitas announced. "Let's go kill a gay guy!"

Donald waved goodbye as they started walking towards the staircase. Sora stopped and looked back at her.

"Please be careful, Sora," Naminé told him.

"I'll be okay," Sora told her. "I promise!"

He picked up an Oblivion attack card and stored it away for later. As they walked up the stairs, Donald smirked and looked up at Vanitas.

"Hey, about Marluxia," he started. "Is he gay, or European?"

Vanitas frowned in confusion at that.

"What?" he asked.

Donald looked surprised, then annoyed.

"You can name and quote almost every horror movie or Fall Out Boy song ever made," Donald summarized. "But you don't know that song?"

"Nope," Vanitas simply told him as he looked up the stairs with a smile on his face.

Donald sighed out in frustration as they walked up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess this serves as the climax. And thank you for introducing me to that song, CeleneTheAngel. I figured it would work as part of a joke with Donald


	28. 14th Floor: Castle Oblivion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes through the top floor, fighting Heartless and Organization members.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Axel

The four ran up the stairs into the entrance hallway of the top floor, then up the stairs of the indoor porch to the already open double doors. They walked through the light until they transformed into a long, intricate hallway with various designs on the walls and pedestals with marble flowers on top.

"First thing I'm doing when I take this place back is getting an interior decorator to change what that gay prick did," Vanitas told his friends.

"Get 'em to do something about all this white," Donald told him. "It's doing things to my eyes."

"That'll be the first thing to go," Vanitas told him. "I think before the walls were yellowish with teal points, along beige floors with cool designs. Yeah, this is gonna be badass."

They stopped when they realized Sora had stopped a few feet behind them. They walked back over to the boy, who had put the good luck charm back into his back pocket. It was clear that he was still wondering who the person that was most important to him was.

"Can't you remember?" Donald asked.

"Vanitas said her name was Kairi," Sora told them. "But no matter what, it just doesn't sound familiar to me. I only remember Naminé. C'mon, do you other guys remember anything at all?"

Donald sighed out and looked down.

"No," he told Sora. "Sorry, Sora. It's important, but I just can't remember... Ironic. The only one of us who can remember anything is the amnesiac."

"Yeah, that is ironic," Vanitas agreed, frowning in confusion.

"I don't want to be, but I'm getting scared," Donald admitted.

"Then we should really make a promise!" Goofy suggested.

"Huh?" Sora, Vanitas, and Donald asked, turning towards the dog.

"What you said back there kinda got my brain a-thinkin'," Goofy explained. "Whenever you make a promise that's super-duper big... Maybe it gives you the courage to face the scary stuff!"

Sora looked up in thought.

"Courage," he repeated. He pumped his fists in preparation.

"Yeah!" Donald agreed. "Let's do it!"

"Hell, yeah," Vanitas agreed.

Donald raised up his hand in preparation for others.

"Even if we get scared," he said. "Or in trouble, or even if we get separated..."

"Or even if we sorta forget each other," Goofy added, placing his hand on top of Donald's.

"Or if we get the ever-loving shit beat out of us," Vanitas added, placing his hand on top of Goofy's.

"Whatever happens, we're friends," Sora confirmed catching a fist with his free hand.

He placed his hand on top of Vanitas'.

"All for one, and one for all!" Donald exclaimed.

This taught Sora the sleight Trinity Limit, which, yes, was different from the move they used to finish off Ansem. But since Vanitas still couldn't be affected by the cards, it just had to be him, Donald, and Goofy.

Sora and Vanitas then had to move throughout the Castle Oblivion rendition of... Castle Oblivion. Along the way, they had to fight off various Heartless, including what Vanitas guessed was a Shadow's older brother, the Neoshadow. Along the way, Sora got to test out new sleights, including Raging Storm, which surrounded him in three pillars of fire that spun around which he floated around attacking with, which Vanitas thought was awesome.

After they made it through another room, Vanitas had a smaller vision than usual. Naminé was kneeling over the unconscious replica Riku. Unbeknownst to her, a surge of darkness happened behind her, signifying Marluxia's appearance. Vanitas gasped as the vision ended.

"What'd you see?" Sora asked.

"Marluxia's taken Naminé hostage," Vanitas told him. "We gotta reach the room fast to help her."

"Right," Sora nodded his head, then scanned across the room. There were Heartless sleeping around them, and a room on both the door in front of them, and the one next to them. "Which door will be the fastest route there?"

"Well, we can just check the map," Vanitas said as he raised the map in his hands.

"The what?" Sora asked, turning towards him.

Vanitas held up the map and showed him how many rooms there were on the floor, and the specific path the rooms made. A Keyblade insignia was placed on the doom they were in. The rooms had placed together to look like a large number nine.

"The room we have to reach is right there," Vanitas said, pointing at the door with a Key of Beginnings design on it, far along on the 9. "We don't necessarily know which door on either side of the room will be the one to open it, but either way, there's still about nine or ten rooms between us and whatever's in there. What do you think?"

He looked towards Sora, who just looked amazed at the map.

"Where did you get that?" Sora asked, gesturing to the map.

"It was next to the door to the entrance hall," Vanitas told him.

"And you waited until now to show it to me?" Sora asked.

"I figured you were doing what you did on all the other floors," Vanitas explained. "Intentionally left the map because you wanted a better feeling of the sense of adventure."

"Other floors?" Sora asked, incredulous. "I didn't even know there were maps on the floors."

"You didn't?" Vanitas asked, surprised. "Oh, man, no wonder you kept getting us lost!"

"Okay, we'll discuss... this, later," Sora said, gesturing to the map. "Let's just keep going forwards."

Unfortunately, he didn't pay attention to where he was running, and ran right into a snoozing Neoshadow, transporting them into battle. Once that was over, they ran through more of the rooms, Sora adjusting his deck for the upcoming fights along the way. Halfway there, Vanitas had two visions.

The first was of the hideout that Axel and the other Organization members had been using. Marluxia had walked through the double doors into the room and reached the center before darkness surged a few feet behind him, signaling Axel's arrival.

"You have some nerve to show your treasonous face around here," Marluxia announced, not looking at him. "Some nerve indeed-"

"Treasonous?" Axel interrupted. "I don't know what you could possibly be talking about."

Marluxia turned to face him, anger on his face.

"Why let Naminé go?" Marluxia asked. "If it weren't for your needless meddling... We could have turned the Keyblade master to come and serve us."

"Ohhh, right," Axel said, looking up, smiling. "Your big plan. You use Naminé to rewrite Sora's memory piece by little piece. And he turns into her total puppet. Then, using Naminé and Sora together, you and Larxene overthrow the Organization. Am I right? I would say that _you_ are the traitor, Marluxia. Sorry, but I don't think The Gay Man and his Bitch are gonna accomplish anything anytime soon."

Marluxia looked confused by the nicknames.

"Vanitas' nicknames for you and Larxene," Axel explained.

Marluxia nodded his head, looking a little annoyed at the nickname.

"Since when were you suspicious of us?" Marluxia asked.

"Do either one of us have the heart to believe anyone?" Axel asked.

Marluxia smirked and closed his eyes, looking down.

"So you only eliminated Vexen to obtain proof of our plan?" he asked.

"That, I didn't want to do, even if he was annoying," Axel admitted. "But it was your order."

He held out his hands, and his chakrams appeared in blazes of fire. Marluxia just smirked at him.

"Remember the order: 'You must eliminate the traitor'," Axel told him. "I always follow orders, Marluxia."

The second vision showed Riku floating, unconscious, above a large pool of darkness. Ansem's voice woke him up and did the usual "Come to the dark side, we have cookies," shtick. He then appeared in front of Riku and reached out for him, but then light appeared, and Mickey's voice told him to keep fighting. More light flared, and a see through Mickey appeared between the two, blocking Riku off from Ansem. Ansem called him a meddlesome king, and the vision shifted. Riku woke up and asked for Mickey to answer him, but got no response, figuring out that the King was with him.

After going through a few more rooms, Sora and Vanitas reached the Key of Beginnings room, and Vanitas had another slight vision as they walked through the light.

"Larxene paid the price for disloyalty when she disappeared," Axel told Marluxia. "You must do the same!"

He charged Marluxia and swung his chakrams at the man, who backed up while holding his scythe. Axel threw his chakrams, which Marluxia caught with his scythe. He tossed them back, which Axel caught. He held out his arms on each side, holding up his weapons.

"The Organization's betrayed," Axel told him. "In that name, I will annihilate you."

"That line's not you," Marluxia told Axel as he pointed his scythe at the redhead.

"Well, had to try it once, you know," Axel admitted as he lowered his chakrams to his sides.

He then charged at Marluxia, which Marluxia dodged by sliding to the side. Marluxia then slashed his scythe where Axel stood, which he dodged by jumping back where he was a fe seconds prior. Marluxia then slashed his scythe towards Axel, causing a shockwave to fly out at the redhead. Axel grunted as he blocked it with his chakrams. Marluxia chuckled as he made something appear in front of him in a flash of flower petals (gay) and thorns.

It was at that point that Sora, Vanitas, Donald, and Goofy ran out of the light and into the room the two were in through the double doors. Axel stood up straight and chuckled, annoyed that Marluxia was using Naminé as some kind of shield. The girl whimpered in fear.

"Is that your shield?" Axel asked. "Won't do you any good, I'm afraid."

"I wonder," Marluxia said. He looked past Axel at Sora and Vanitas. "Are you listening, Sora?"

"Oh?" Axel asked, sensing the four behind him.

"Hey, Axel," Vanitas said, waving to the redhead like you might greet an old friend.

"Axel says he's willing to harm Naminé to get to me," Marluxia told Sora. "You won't let that happen, will you?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood in their battle stances.

"Oh, come now," Axel said. "You're Marluxia's puppet, already?"

"After we finish you, he's next!" Sora snapped.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Vanitas said, raising his hands to try to calm the situation. "Let's not get too hasty."

"Hmph," Axel said. "Now, Sora. We've got more in common than you might think."

He turned around to face Sora.

"I'd really rather not fight you..." Axel said, looking down. He then looked up quickly with a smile on his face. "But I can't dishonor the Organization, now can I?"

He held out his chakrams, which flared with bright fire.

"Fine," Vanitas sighed out, pulling his SPAS-12 out of his sling. "Why do I have to keep fighting people I like?"

He pumped it, preparing it to fire, just as the light flared. He and Sora stood together facing Axel in the circular arena.

Sora started things out as usual by giving himself an extended combo and attacked with one. Vanitas blasted his would-be friend with his shotgun while he and Sora dodged the redhead's attacks. Sora then stopped his big sleigh, then used another extended combo before Vanitas blasted Axel again with his shotgun. Axel tried another sleight, which Sora stopped again. Sora then prepared Ars Arcanum, which he had to be careful about since Axel suddenly had pretty high valued cards.

His waiting paid off, as he only used it when Axel attacked with a 0 card, which he used to _almost_ its fullest extent. Almost, because right before he could do the last strike, Axel started a sleight that was significantly higher in value. But Sora managed to stop the sleight by quickly using a 0 card again. Vanitas then jumped up and kicked Axel in the chest. He landed on the ground in front of Axel.

"Sorry about this," Vanitas told him. "I actually think you're cool, and would like to be friends with you."

"I'd like that, too," Axel told him. "Maybe we still can. You know, if I don't get killed once this fight's over."

"Naturally," Vanitas agreed, before blasting Axel in the stomach with his shotgun.

Sora then used the stunning Sleights, Strike Raid then Freeze, then started a new sleight, Aqua Splash, to spray water at Axel, which caused significant damage after the stuns. Axel started another sleight which Sora once again stopped with a 0 card before using another extended combo. Vanitas blasted Axel again with his shotgun, right before Sora used Quake to knock back the redhead.

Sora re-stacked his deck right before Vanitas kicked Axel in the side, knocking him into a pillar. Sora used another extended combo before stopping Axel from doing a sleight with a higher valued Strike Raid. He then used another enemy card which protected his attacks from getting broken, and started Trinity Limit. It caused a massive surge of light with intricate designs on the floor, which caused a good deal of damage to Axel.

Vanitas then tackled Axel to the ground, then kicked him in the head. Sora then started up his final sleight, Holy, which he used to shoot a beam of light into the air and into Axel. It finished off Axel, making him utter "So this is it..." Before they were taken back to the previous chamber, Sora was gifted an Axel enemy card that he stored away for later.

Back in the chamber, Axel stood across from the doppelgängers, clutching his chest.

"You're better than I thought you'd be," Axel admitted. "It was worth saving you after all."

"Saving me?" Sora asked. "What d'ya mean?"

"He was the one who let Naminé go, remember?" Vanitas told him. "Not sure that counts as 'saving us,' though. Or are you talking about something else?"

"Sorry, I would hate to kill the suspense," Axel chuckled before black smoke covered him.

"Axel!" Sora called out, reaching for the redhead.

"Aw, man!" Vanitas exclaimed, upset.

The smoke completely covered him before it disappeared with him entirely. It was then that Sora looked around, seeing no one else in the room. He grunted as he and Vanitas ran out the double doors in front of them. Vanitas had two more visions as they ran through the hallway.

The first one followed Zexion in the basement. Axel appeared, confirming that that was a fake out death, and he was fine. That cheered Vanitas up a bit. Zexion admitted that he thought Axel would have been the one that was next, but Axel told him that he thinks it'll be Marluxia. Zexion admitted that his and Lexaeus' plan was to use Riku to eliminate the traitors, but now they didn't have any use for him.

The next followed Xion. She was at the Destiny Islands and fought Heartless of various designs with intricate, cool looking combo attacks. Once they were all gone, she stood on the beach observing the waves coming in, and the Island Sora had met Vanitas on off in the distance. The vision shifted, then Kairi was looking off at the island, looking worried. The vision shifted again, and now Xion was standing over the still unconscious Roxas' bed, telling him about the world she visited, and leaving a seashell next to his pillow, one of the many there.

 _Those two are definitely gonna kiss_ , Vanitas thought as he ran down the hallway with his friends, which Goofy ended up hearing, confusing him.

They reached the end off the hallway and entered a large room with large double doors across from them. Marluxia was waiting for them with Naminé in front of those doors.

"You've defeated Axel," Marluxia chuckled at them. "The Keyblade's power; how I've longed to make it my own."

"Let Naminé go!" Sora snapped.

"Co-operate, and maybe we'll be more merciful when we kill you," Vanitas told Marluxia.

"You've no chance of winning," Marluxia told them.

"Says you," Vanitas remarked.

Marluxia just placed his hand on Naminé's shoulder.

"Naminé," he told her. "Erase Sora's memory."

Naminé, then everyone else collectively gasped at his order. She turned and looked up at the smiling face of Marluxia.

"But if I do that..." She started.

"That's right," Marluxia confirmed. "Sora's heart will be destroyed."

"His heart, destroyed?" Goofy asked, worried.

"You can do that?" Donald asked.

"Who knows what the full extent of her powers is?" Vanitas pointed out to Donald.

"I'd rather have preferred him unmarred," Marluxia admitted. "But he can be rebuilt... more to my liking with time. Naminé, do it."

"No," Naminé told him. Anger and annoyance appeared on his face quickly. "Sora forgave me even when I deceived him. So how could I destroy his heart? There's no way! I don't care what happens to me. I won't hurt Sora! I won't do it!"

She stood between Marluxia and Sora and raised her hands up, preparing for a blow.

Marluxia uttered "Then you will-"

"Do it, Naminé!" Sora told her. She turned to face him, surprised. "I don't care! You can erase my memory!"

"Sora, why'd you say that?" Goofy asked.

Vanitas covered his face with his left hand, embarrassed. He took it off, asking "How dumb are you!?"

"I said it, because..." Sora started. "...who will I look after if I don't have Naminé? So just do it! Erase my memories. Destroy my heart. I promised! I'll always protect you! You have to believe me!"

"Sora..." Naminé said.

"I don't need any memories to take on someone like Marluxia!" Sora continued.

"You bet!" Donald agreed. "Even if Sora forgets it all, Goofy, V, and I won't forget!" Goofy nodded his head in agreement.

"Donald's right," Goofy agreed. "The three of us can remember everything for Sora!"

"I know first hand what it's like to be an amnesiac," Vanitas added. "So I won't let him suffer alone like that. I'll be there with him, every step of the way!"

"See," Sora continued. "I'll have my friends' memories, so I can piece my own together again!"

"You ignorant fool," Marluxia told Sora, smirking. "If Naminé uses her powers to erase your memory, you'll be nothing but an empty shell. Your heart will no longer be able to feel or to care. Just like... Vexen's pathetic imitation of your Riku."

"Take another guess," Riku's voice appeared in the air between the two groups, surprising them.

Darkness surged, and the replica leaped out and slashed his sword at Marluxia. Marluxia backed up to dodge while Naminé backed up to stand with the others.

"It can't be!" Marluxia exclaimed, looking at the replica of Riku.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed.

"No," the replica corrected him. "Just an imitation."

"You're a shell," Marluxia snapped at the replica. "A shell who has had everything taken! Everything!"

"What can you possibly think I ever had?" the replica asked. "Both my body and my heart are fake."

"You are now somehow more pessimistic than the real Riku," Vanitas commented.

"Eh," the replica told him before looking back at Marluxia. "But... there is one memory I'll keep, even if it's just a lie! Whether it was a phantom promise or not... I will protect Naminé!"

"Imbeciles..." Marluxia said before he raised his arm up into the air.

A flower petal floated down into his raised hand. When he caught it, his scythe appeared in a flash of thorns and flower petals. He slashed it, standing in a battle stance, causing wind to erupt around him, expelling more flower petals.

"You would knowingly shackle your heart with a chain of memories born of lies?" Marluxia asked with a cocky smile on his face.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood in their battle stances with their weapons, and Vanitas pulled out his revolver and machete.

"You would be one who has a heart, yet cast aside your heart's freedom?" Marluxia asked.

Riku raised his free arm in front of Naminé as a form of protecting her.

"You turn from the truth because your heart is weak," Marluxia said, raising his arms. He pointed his scythe at them. "You will never defeat me!" He lowered his scythe back into his battle stance.

Light flared, and Sora and Vanitas stood together against Marluxia. Sora used the enemy card to give himself extended combo attacks, and Vanitas shot his revolver at the pink haired man. Like before, it had little effect. Sora stopped Marluxia's big magic attack with two extended combos, then he had to dodge as Marluxia floated into the air and slashed it at the ground, causing energy to surge where the scythe was aimed.

Vanitas moved across the scythe with his machete, then shot at Marluxia twice, once in the head, and one in the chest. He then jumped up and kicked Marluxia in the chest, then pistol-whipped him in the shoulder. Marluxia then used the length of his scythe to knock back Vanitas. Sora retaliated for Vanitas by using Sonic Blade to slide and attack multiple times, then followed it up with another combo attack.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed, before he was replaced with the replica.

"Okay, how did that happen?" Vanitas asked, pointing at the replica with his machete.

"Cards," the replica guessed, which was all they needed.

The Replica slid over to Marluxia and did his own wicked looking combo attack. He then moved to the side and launched out Dark Firaga, which Vanitas combined with a fireball of his own. The two fires grew more powerful and exploded on the pink haired man, doing significant damage.

The replica was then replaced by Sora again, who was immediately attacked by Marluxia's Blossom Shower sleight, which looked serious from Vanitas' perspective. But he managed to interrupt it with a higher valued Strike Raid. Vanitas then slashed the stunned man in the back with his machete, then smacked him in the side of the head with the flat of his blade. Sora then used Tornado to pick up Marluxia with his wind, and hold him up there for a few seconds. Once he fell to the ground, he was stunned once again, and Sora added to it by using Freeze. Then he used Quake to knock the man back, damaging him.

While Sora was replaced with the replica again, Vanitas shot Marluxia in the head with the remaining bullets from his revolver, then tossed it aside. He jumped up and kicked Marluxia in the chest, then grabbed the man by his shoulders. He jumped up and repeatedly kneed Marluxia before jumping up even higher and coming down to elbow him in the shoulder. But then Marluxia smacked Vanitas aside with the pole of his scythe, stopping whatever next attack he could do.

The replica then started a duel with Marluxia, and Vanitas got to see the attack in action. He broke seven of Marluxia's cards with his own, and used it to do a sleight called Dark Barrage. First he slashed Marluxia while floating up into the air. He then launched out multiple versions of his sword in an attack, many of which hit Marluxia in an attack. The replica then slid over to Marluxia, and immediately got slashed multiple times by Marluxia with his scythe. The replica retaliated by doing a wicked combo with his sword, then blasting him with another Dark Firaga combined with Vanitas' fire.

"Sora!" the replica called out, drawing Sora in.

Vanitas slashed his machete at Marluxia right before Sora used another extended combo on the pink haired man. But then both of them had to move to the side as he launched out magic onto the ground. The magic rose up into pinkish energy with thorns around it, spewing flower petals. Surprisingly, this wasn't a sleight, so Sora stopped it pretty easily with an extended combo. Sora then granted himself attacks not being able to be broken, then started the Raging Storm sleight, which Vanitas was once again jealous of. He floated to Marluxia, and hit him with fire multiple times.

Sora then started a sleight that made Donald appear. Like when they had fought Vexen, Vanitas and Donald combined their fires to make large fireballs that Sora knocked into Marluxia, doing good damage.

"My turn!" the replica announced as he appeared.

First, he stunned Marluxia with the second attack of his combo, then rose up to do the sleight, Dark Break. He came down and stabbed at Marluxia in the air multiple times. The replica then attacked with a combo, then combined his Dark Firaga with Vanitas' fire, which they launched at Marluxia in an attack. They both then had to dodge it as Marluxia rose into the air in the center of the room. He slammed his scythe into the ground which caused a great impact on the ground in an attack, but the two successfully managed to dodge the attack.

"Hold him down!" the replica told Vanitas.

"All right!" Vanitas agreed easily, tossing aside his machete.

Vanitas leaped over Marluxia and held the man's arms behind him, which was the time his enhanced strength acted up, so the moment couldn't have been more perfect. The replica started Dark Aura and slid multiple times through the air to stab at Marluxia many times with his sword. He then slammed into the ground in an attack, causing multiple bits of dark energy to fly into the ground in an attack. And since they were on the same side this time, the replica's attacks didn't harm Vanitas.

Sora then appeared and got the cards needed for Ars Arcanum. He started the sleight, but Marluxia teleported out of Vanitas' arms. Luckily, Sora was able to continue the attack even though he had to close in on Marluxia to keep it up. He used the sleight to its fullest extent and finished off Marluxia, making him utter "So you are a hero." Sora was rewarded with a Marluxia enemy card before the room returned to how it was before.

Sora, Vanitas, Donald, Goofy, and the replica stood in their battle stances against the Marluxia with Naminé behind them. Flower petals expelled from Marluxia for a few seconds, soon followed by purple lines of energy and grey thorns. They watched as Marluxia faded away then got out of their battle stances.

"That was surprisingly easy," Vanitas commented. "My mom once said 'Gays have no muscle tone.' You think that might've been a factor?"

"Your mom sounds crazy," the replica commented.

"She kind of is," Vanitas admitted.

"Well, that aside," Donald said. "Is he gone?"

Sora turned towards him and gave him a thumbs-up in confirmation. Donald nodded in appreciation.

"You could say that," Marluxia's voice announced, surprising all of them.

Darkness surged in front of the double doors in front of them, and Marluxia appeared through it.

"However, what you destroyed was merely an illusion of me," he told them.

Sora and Vanitas grunted in anger.

"So what!?" the replica yelled as he charged at Marluxia.

He slashed his sword through Marluxia, which made him disappear in a cloud of smoke and flower petals.

"Another imitation," the replica sighed out as the others ran up to him.

"Makes sense," Vanitas admitted. "Guys like this, they go through a lot to make sure they don't get killed immediately."

All six of them looked up at the double doors in front of them.

"He's really," Sora started. "In there?"

"Yes," Naminé answered.

"I knew it," Sora admitted. "I can feel his power. It's trying to destroy my heart."

"Gawrsh, we'll just take care of him together!" Goofy announced.

"Hell, yeah," Vanitas agreed, pulling a Desert Eagle and a Micro Uzi out of his sling. He slid some magazines of ammo into slots on his belt.

"Sora!" Donald exclaimed. "Come on!"

"Riku," Sora told the replica. "Protect Naminé."

The replica was surprised and looked at Sora.

"You don't...mind?" he asked.

"Should I?" Sora asked, smiling.

"All right," the replica said, smiling in appreciation at the boy.

"Let's go," Vanitas said, looking up at the doors.

The double doors opened up, spewing out light. Sora and Vanitas ran into the light, ready for whatever was waiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And DAMN, that boss music for the first Marluxia battle, Graceful Assassin, is badass. Possibly my favorite theme in the game. They should have used THAT for the battle with him and Larxene during the boss run in III. I mean, there's nothing wrong with Lord of the Castle, it's just as cool, but I kind of prefer Graceful Assassin. But that's me. Oh, and gotta thank Everglow's Timeline for giving the idea of switching out Sora and the Riku Replica during the fight with Marluxia. It's genius, and makes me glad I'm using his series as reference. It makes this a lot easier to do


	29. Lord of the Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Vanitas take on Marluxia, then Naminé helps them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, I don't even know what takes longer to type out anymore: the excessive dialogue, or the fight scenes

They ran through the light onto a new, unique circular arena. This one had different designs, including a blossom on the center of the floor. The two of them stopped and looked up, gasping in surprise at Marluxia floating in the air above them.

"Soon the emptiness will shatter your hearts," Marluxia announced. Flower petals started floating around him. "Here in this world, of nothingness!"

He was then surrounded in a large tornado that spun around, flower petals flying within. Sora and Vanitas both grunted as the impact of the tornado hit them. They were pushed back a bit, but pushed through it. Once they wind died, they looked up, and Sora gasped in surprise.

"Holy shit, the Gay Man got an upgrade!" Vanitas exclaimed.

He was right. Marluxia was on the back of a giant, grey being designed sort of like a female reaper. There were scythe blades exceeding out of the reaper's sleeves, and an intricately designed cloak with a lot of points. Where Marluxia was placed on the reaper, it was like he was in the center of a flower. And what looked like hair spewed back behind Marluxia, possibly because he was placed on the reaper's head. The reaper slashed its scythes in the air, ready for battle.

"As lightless oblivion devours you," Marluxia announced. "Drown in the ever-blooming darkness!"

Sora stood in his battle stance, and Vanitas raised his guns. Light flared, but Vanitas felt that that was kind of useless since they were already in the room, and it was already only the two of them.

The first thing they had to do was take care of the scythe blades. Sora granted himself extended combos and started one on the reaper's left scythe, stopping an attack. He stopped another with a second combo, but still had to leave it to Vanitas to finish it off with powerful a shot from his Desert Eagle, breaking it into pieces. Vanitas aimed his Desert Eagle at the second scythe while Sora dodged attacks that Marluxia sent out, which consisted of pick, X shaped surges of energy. Sora then broke two more attacks with extended combos, and got close to finishing off the second scythe.

"Ho!" Marluxia exclaimed as he launched out more energy.

"Hey!" Vanitas exclaimed. "That's no way to talk about you're dearly-departed Bitch. May she rest in peace!"

Marluxia just groaned in annoyance and had his reaper slash its remaining scythe at Vanitas, which he caught with his hands. He smashed it to pieces with his knee.

"You'll now know real fear," Marluxia announced as his reaper rushed at Vanitas and Sora.

The attack hit them as the reaper flew out of range of the arena. Vanitas fired his Uzi at the reaper from where they were in the arena, then he and Sora had to dodge it as the reaper charged at them. Sora started the sleight Judgement, which he used to throw his Keyblade at the reaper, which spun around in multiple arcs to attack. Once that was over, Vanitas got in and close and fired powerful shots from his Desert Eagle at the reaper.

While Vanitas did that, Sora got the cards needed to start the Holy sleight. He launched up four beams of light, one at a time, each one coming down on the reaper in powerful attacks. Energy then gathered in front of Marluxia as he prepared for an attack. Vanitas stopped it by making a large ball of fire that he had to lift with both hands appear in front of his guns. He threw it up, and it exploded in a huge blast on Marluxia, doing significant damage.

While Vanitas did that, Sora re-stacked his deck. Marluxia then launched out three little drones that surrounded Sora, but he just had to break the attacks with his own cards to destroy them quickly. Sora used another extended combo while Vanitas shot his Micro Uzi at the reaper. Twice, he tried flying up high into the air and slamming back into the ground hard, and twice, Sora stopped the attacks with 0 cards. Sora re-stacked his deck again while Vanitas reloaded his Desert Eagle. Then Marluxia used a spell that made Sora blind to all the cards in his deck. He examined the cards in the transluscent deck on his wrist, but they were all black. He had to guess what his attacks were about to be, and it payed off when he used two extended combos to do serious damage while breaking Marluxia's attacks.

Vanitas then leaped up onto the reaper and faced Marluxia. Marluxia tried pushing him off twice, first with magic, then with his bare hands, but neither one worked. Vanitas first pistol whipped Marluxia in the head with his Desert Eagle, then blasted the man all around with his Micro Uzi. He then kicked Marluxia in the head, but the pink haired man caught it. He tossed Vanitas off of the reaper, and he fell to the ground. Vanitas made sure to roll backwards to keep the momentum moving and keep himself from taking any form of damage.

Vanitas looked up to see that Sora had taken a page from his handbook and launched out a big fireball with the sleight Mega Flare. While Sora attacked the reaper with extended combos, Vanitas loaded a fresh magazine into his Micro Uzi. He cocked back the Uzi to prepare it to fire, and did exactly that at the reaper. He held Marluxia and the reaper off with his guns while Sora used an Elixer card to re-stack almost his entire deck, minus that once card.

Vanitas kept firing until his guns clicked empty, which was unfortunate because his ammo pockets were empty. Luckily, Sora used Trinity Limit to do a massive attack with light on Marluxia and his reaper, finishing them both off, making Marluxia utter "What?"

The reaper shook for a few seconds, looking like it was on some kind of acid trip or something, Vanitas thought. But then light started to grow.

"Your hopes are doomed to the darkness," Marluxia announced as the light blinded them.

* * *

In a gigantic abyss of what looked like a piece of the Lanes Between, a gigantic reaper floated in the air. Sora and Vanitas stood on the reaper's somehow solid back hood, facing Marluxia. Marluxia himself was rooted in place with thorns of darkness. A gigantic reaper taller than a house stood behind him with an enormous scythe in her hands, and gigantic wings extended from her shoulders. Just one look confirmed to the doppelgängers that the reaper was connected to Marluxia, and would be the one attacking for him.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Vanitas said, amazed, as he pulled out his sledgehammer.

"Let's get him," Sora announced, at which Vanitas nodded his head in agreement.

"Do you want to scream?" Marluxia asked, gesturing to them with his arms.

Three floating projectiles surrounded Sora while he gave himself extended combos. He used three to attack, taking out the projectiles by breaking each of the three attacks they tried. Marluxia then started a sleight called Doom, which shot out thorns that trapped Sora. The only way he could break out was by breaking six attacks with higher valued or 0 cards in time. Vanitas smacked Marluxia with his sledgehammer multiple times to try to break his friend out, but it didn't work, so he just had to let his friend break himself out. Vanitas continued to attack Marluxia while Sora broke out of the thorns and re-stacked his deck.

Sora ran up to Marluxia and used two combo attacks, just in time. Marluxia had sent up his reaper, and with each combo attack Sora used, he stopped the reaper from attacking. Vanitas stayed close and attacked Marluxia while Sora went and retrieved a Donald card, adding to the Goofy card he had picked up earlier. On Sora's way back, Marluxia tried to use a sleight called Whirlwind to the Void three times, each time Sora managed to dodge it. Vanitas had repeatedly kneed Marluxia in the stomach, then smacked him in the face with his sledgehammer. Turns out being rooted in place made Marluxia a lot easier to fight.

Sora got close to attack with another combo attack, but then Marluxia used a sleight to push both boys far back away from him. Marluxia then launched out three more of the little projectiles, which Vanitas decided to take care of. While Sora ran towards Marluxia, Vanitas smashed one with his sledgehammer against the ground, then knocked a second off the side, all the way into the void. Sora broke an attack to break the final projectile. Vanitas then encased his sledgehammer in fire, then smacked Marluxia upside the head with it.

Then, Sora had to use up six more attacks to break out of Doom before granting himself Attack Bracer, protecting his attacks. He started Trinity Limit again, attacking with light and doing significant damage. Vanitas added to it by using a mock combo attack with his fire covered sledgehammer. Sora then used Raging Storm to once again attack with spinning pillars of fire. And Attack Bracer helped protect the sleight from the many sleights Marluxia tried using to stop the attack.

Sora healed then ended up having to use six more cards to keep himself from getting killed. Vanitas then encased Marluxia completely in fire while Sora re-stacked his deck with the Elixer card. Vanitas kicked Marluxia, then smacked him in the face with his sledgehammer, hard. Sora then used Sonic Blade to slide around multiple times in an attack. But before he could attack again, he had to dodge Marluxia's Whirlwind attack. He got Ars Arcanum ready, but then another Whirlwind was launched out, making him lose all of his cards, even the recharge card. They all fell on the ground around the arena.

Sora ran to get all the cards that flew back into his deck while Vanitas held off Marluxia with his sledgehammer. He hit the man in the stomach with his hammer, hit the man upwards with his hammer, then smacked him on the right side of the face to end the attack. Vanitas then grabbed Marluxia by the back of the head, then repeatedly hit him in the face with his sledgehammer.

Marluxia then started a sleight called Circle Reject, then the reaper flew up into the air.

"Jump!" Vanitas exclaimed.

He didn't know how he knew to do it, but it paid off. They both jumped up into the air as the reaper slammed into the ground, causing a massive shockwave that they had to jump over to avoid taking damage. They avoided this attack three more times, then went and got in close. Vanitas did his own combo with his sledgehammer, then Sora did Ars Arcanum with his Keyblade, actually managing to do it to its fullest extent. Sora then did the sleight with Donald, and the duck and Vanitas combined their fires together, which Sora struck, knocking it at Marluxia in an attack.

With the fight all but done, Sora used his last sleight, Holy, to launch up a beam of light, which came down to attack Marluxia. The beam finished him off, making him utter "This... This is the heart of a hero."

Marluxia groaned in pain as pink energy and flower petals flew up from the energy holding him in place. The energy and some black smoke flew past him and up the reaper behind him. Marluxia reached out for them as thorns and more flower petals surrounded him. After a few seconds, Marluxia transformed completely into flower petals, which flew into the air with the smoke, fading completely. Sora and Vanitas stared up into the air where the man and the reaper used to be.

"And _that's_ how you kill a gay guy," Vanitas commented.

He and Sora turned around and started running back the way they came. Along the way, Vanitas had a vision of Riku in the basement again. The room shook around him, and he confirmed that that meant "one of the scents died. A real powerful one." Zexion appeared and informed him that the ruler of the castle had just been felled by the Keyblade Master, and gave him a Destiny Islands card before disappearing in the surge of darkness.

Sora, Vanitas, Donald, and Goofy ran out of the doors and Sora and Vanitas kept running while Donald and Goofy stayed back. They closed the doors behind them and moved out of the way. Sora turned towards the doors and pointed his Keyblade at it. Light gathered at the tip and shot out, making the doors glow brightly with light. When the light faded, the doors were gone. The four stared at where the doors used to be and turned towards the replica and Naminé.

"You okay, Riku?" Sora asked the replica.

"Not Riku," the replica corrected him. "I'm a fake. I can't remember why I was created or where or when... All that's inside of me... is time with you and Naminé. But I know those memories are not real."

"Gee, Naminé," Goofy said to the girl. "Can't you use your magic to put Riku's memory back to normal?"

"Well," Naminé said in thought. "I..."

"It's all right," the replica insisted. "I'll deal."

He turned and started walking away from them.

"Wait!" Sora called out, getting him to stop. "Who cares if someone created you? You are you and nobody else. You have your own heart inside you. Those feelings and memories are yours and yours alone. They're special!"

"Just because you're a clone of another person doesn't mean you're not unique," Vanitas added. "You're your own person. If you choose to be, you can have your own life and friends."

"Sora, Vanitas," the replica said. "You're good guys." He looked over his shoulder at them. "I don't have to be real to see how real those feelings are. That's good enough."

"Riku!" Sora called after the replica. But he just kept walking until he disappeared in the corridor. "Riku..."

"You know what I just realized?" Vanitas asked. "We could have called him Repliku. Missed opportunity."

After staring after where Repliku had disappeared for a few seconds, Donald finally asked the big question.

"Can you put our memories back?" the duck asked Naminé.

"Yes," Naminé confirmed. "Not remembering something doesn't really mean that it's gone."

"What d'ya mean?" Goofy asked.

"When you remember one thing, that leads to remembering another," Naminé explained. "And then another, and then another. Our memories are connected." Sora and Vanitas walked over to get a better listen at this. "Many pieces are linked together like they're in a chain... that makes up each of us. I don't actually erase any memories; just take apart the links and rearrange them. You still have all your memories."

Jiminy climbed onto Sora's shoulder and asked "So you can put 'em back together?"

"Yes," Naminé confirmed. "But first, I have to undo the chains of the memories I made on my own. After I've done that, I have to gather up the memories scattered across each of your hearts and then reconnect them. It might take some time. But I think it might work. No... It will work. I'm sure. It's my turn to look after you."

"All right," Sora said. "We all really trust you."

It was then that the same thought occurred to Jiminy and Vanitas.

"Wait a second," Vanitas said. "You said that you'll have to undo the links of the memories you made."

"But that means..." Jiminy continued.

"Yes," Naminé confirmed. "You won't be able to remember anything about what happened here."

"Not even you?" Sora asked.

"I'm sorry," Naminé told him. "It's the only way, I'm afraid. Only Vanitas will remember everything. And not to be rude, but I don't really trust his story-telling abilities."

"Neither do I," Vanitas admitted.

Naminé turned away from them and walked a few feet away.

"Sora, you have a choice," she told him. "You can lose your memories of this castle and reclaim your old ones... or keep your memories here and give up the memories that you've lost."

"Do I have to...to choose?" Sora asked, looking down.

"Yes," Naminé confirmed, nodding her head.

Sora looked down in thought. Vanitas, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other, a little worried, then looked back at Sora.

"Make me like I was," Sora told Naminé.

"Oh, okay," Naminé said, turning to face him. "Nobody needs to keep a bunch of memories that aren't real, right? You want to remember all of the people who are really important to you. Anybody would choose that."

The way she looked at the floor the whole time despite the smile on her face made Vanitas feel bad for the girl.

None of them knew how, but Naminé led them to a place that they were going to have to stay in while she fixed Sora, Donald, and Goofy's memories. They were in a large, circular, very white chamber with a pod in the middle of the room. With the designs on the floor, it looked like a rose bud in a pond. The pod was open, as if it was waiting for someone. Given what was going on, Vanitas had a feeling he knew who it was for.

"To remember again, we have to sleep in that?" Donald asked.

"Yes," Naminé confirmed. "It's going to take a little time, but I'll take care of you."

"Gawrsh, when we wake up, we won't remember who you are anymore," Goofy said, hand on chin in thought. "We'll only have Vanitas as reference."

"And I'm not the best person to have as a reference for something," Vanitas admitted.

"So how are we gonna thank you?" Donald asked the girl.

"Don't worry about that!" Jiminy announced from Sora's hood. "I'll just make a big note in my journal. And it will say, 'Thank Naminé'."

"Oh, good," Donald said. He looked up at Goofy. "That makes me feel better."

"Well, good night, then, Naminé," Goofy told the girl.

"Good night, Goofy," Naminé told him.

"See you guys soon," Vanitas told his friends as they turned and walked over to the door in front of them.

"You, too, Sora," Naminé told Sora.

"Okay," Sora said, walking over to the pod.

He prepared to climb inside when Naminé stopped him.

"All of this may have started with a lie," she said, garnering his attention. "But I really am glad that I could meet you, Sora."

"Join the club," Vanitas smiled at his friend.

"Yeah," Sora nodded. "Me, too. When I finally found you, and even when I remembered your name, I was happy." He turned to face Naminé. "The way I felt then... That was no lie."

A second of silence passed between them as they smiled at each other, and Vanitas almost felt uncomfortable for being there listening to these two.

"Goodbye," Naminé told him.

"No, not goodbye!" Sora told her, smile still on his face. "When I wake up, I'll find you. And then there will be no lies. We're gonna be friends for real. Promise me, Naminé."

"You're going to forget making that promise," Namine pointed out with a sad smile on her face.

"You'd be surprised," Vanitas commented.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "If the chain of memories comes apart, the links will still be there, right? So the memory of our promise will always be inside me somewhere. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, you're right," Naminé agreed. "Okay, it's a promise."

"Good," Sora nodded his head. "Until later."

The two walked closer to each other and linked their pinky fingers, shaking them as a promise. Sora then awkwardly waved bye before turning to the pod and jumping inside.

"A promise," Naminé said, looking down at her finger in thought. "Huh... Sora, some of your memories' links are deep in the shadows of your heart and I won't be able to find them. But don't worry..." He turned to see her as the pod started to close. "... You made another promise to someone who you could never replace. She is your light. The light within the darkness. Remember her, and all the memories lost in the shadows of your heart will come into the light."

"Another promise," Sora said in thought.

"Look at the good luck charm," Naminé told him. "I changed its shape when I changed your memory... But when you thought of her just once, it went back to the way it was."

Sora pulled the charm out of his back pocket and looked at it in thought. And that was the last Vanitas saw of his friend before the pod closed. He closed his eyes and did his best to try to reach out to his friend, to no avail. But after a few seconds, he felt a rush of happiness from Sora, confirming that he now kind of remembered Kairi.

"Don't worry," Naminé said, which Vanitas could tell she was saying to Sora. "You might forget about me... But with our promise, I can come back." She was quiet as Sora said something Vanitas couldn't hear. "Yes. One day the light... it will be ours, and it will bring us together. Til then... I'll be in your heart."

"Forgotten," Vanitas repeated Sora's words. "But not lost."

With his eyes still closed, Vanitas heard more words in his head:

_There is always sleep between part and meet_

_with our usual words on the usual street._

_So let us part like we always do..._

_And in a world without you_

_I'll dream of you._

_When I come to, let us meet_

_with our usual words on the usual street._

Vanitas looked up at the pod with Naminé, sure that they were making the right decision with Sora.

"How long will this take?" Vanitas asked.

"I don't know," Naminé admitted. "There are many memories that I'll need to find that'll have to be put back together. It might take weeks, or even months."

"Well, looks like I'm back on my own," Vanitas sighed out. "Except now, I don't know how to get around to different worlds."

"You might have a way," Naminé told him. "With the king and Riku in the basement, you might get some help, or something."

"All right," Vanitas said. "Looks like I'm just gonna have to wait for them."

He looked up at the pod and his friend visible through the nature of the pod.

"Look after them," Vanitas told Naminé.

He turned towards the door and walked to it, ready to find his other friends.


	30. The Road to Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanitas reunites with a few friends, then begrudgingly moves on

Vanitas walked through the hallways of the castle, having visions along the way.

First he saw Roxas waking up from his coma and was reunited with Xion on their clocktower. She showed him a seashell which he held up to his ear, hearing the ocean.

Then he saw Axel appear in front of Repliku and offer him his hand.

The vision shifted again, then Vanitas saw RIku facing off against Zexion. Zexion used an illusion to make himself look like Sora, then tried drowning Riku in light. But Riku was urged on to use both Light and Darkness, which he used. He summoned his Dark Mode and slashed through the illusion, where he then had to fight Zexion while on the Islands. He did it just fine and finished off Zexion. But then Zexion disappeared before he could fade away.

It shifted to show Zexion appear in his base, where Axel and Repliku were waiting for him. Axel once again freaked out Vanitas a bit when he suggested for Repliku to take Zexion's power to "possess powers the real Riku has so he can be real." Repliku did just that by taking power from Zexion, making the blue haired man fade away.

The next vision went back to Riku, where he was finally united with the real Mickey, who showed off the Twilight Town world card that they were gonna need for the next floor. Riku entered Twilight Town, and confronted Ansem, saying that he knew that that wasn't the real Ansem because "his scent was different." This made Vanitas question what darkness smelled like.

The Ansem there then changed his image, revealing himself as a man in red called DiZ, and Vanitas couldn't help but feel like he's met this man before. DiZ told Riku to find Naminé, so the silver haired boy went off to do just that. The dream shifted slightly to show Roxas fighting Heartless in the real Twilight Town while Riku fought off Heartless in the Castle Oblivion Twilight Town.

Riku then reached the mansion where Vanitas and Sora had fought Vexen, and had to fight Repliku there. Riku won, and Repliku faded into darkness, with Riku consoling him, telling him that his heart would probably go to the same place as his. Riku then reached the room with the pods where he found Naminé, and she explained everything. She offered him the option to go to sleep so she could remove the darkness and Ansem from his heart, but he decided not to, explaining that he had to face them, rather than run from them.

The vision ended as Vanitas walked through large double doors to see that he had reached the entrance hallway again, Curious, he looked back into the room that he knew they had turned into the Traverse Town world, but was surprised. What he knew was Traverse Town before was now just a simple white room the side of an exit hallway. All the intricate rooms and beings were gone. The illusions had all completely disappeared.

"And with no illusions," Vanitas summarized. "That means there's no entire worlds on the floors. Man, this place is really fucking weird."

He sat down on the steps, and looked around, curiously. He was right, there were no doors, signs, or anything that signified an entrance to a basement. So how were Riku and Mickey supposed to get here?

Vanitas gripped his head as the visions started. He didn't see much with Roxas, just the blonde boy fighting Heartless in Agrabah.

But then it shifted to follow Riku again. He met Mickey and DiZ who gifted them a Castle Oblivion card for the final floor, and an Organization black coat. DiZ told him that the coat would protect him from darkness, and they walked up to the next floor. Riku told Mickey that he had to face Ansem alone, and the King relented, promising him that he would help Riku if he needed it.

Riku then moved on to the final floor where he found Ansem. He fought Ansem and won, but Ansem insisted he'd never be rid of him, and released darkness that engulfed him. Light then appeared in the darkness, then Mickey was giving Riku a shoulder in darkness. Light then flared that blinded even Vanitas, who covered his eyes with his arm.

Vanitas lowered his arm from his eyes as the light died down. He looked up and gasped in surprise at Riku and Mickey standing in front of him in the center of the room. He stood up and walked over to the two, both of which were surprised to see him.

"Good to see ya, V," Mickey told Vanitas.

"Likewise, Mickey," Vanitas said as he was overcome with happiness.

He got on his knees so he was eye level with the mouse and grabbed him in a hug, which Mickey returned.

"You sure have changed," Mickey commented as they pulled away. "Last time I saw ya, you weren't one for physical contact."

"A lot's changed over the last decade," Vanitas admitted, his voice cracking a bit.

"What happened to Aqua?" Mickey asked. "And Ven?"

"I..." Vanitas stammered out. "I don't remember. My Keyblade... it was destroyed."

Both Mickey's and Riku's eyes widened in surprise at that.

"It..." he sighed out. "It took everything. My memories, my life force, control of my powers... and it gave me this."

He pointed to the scar running up the right side of his face.

"I had nothing," Vanitas admitted. "So, I became an apprentice of Ansem the Wise. Then, when everything happened to Hollow Bastion, I left with some townspeople, and I went searching for Xehanort, who had stolen Ansem's name, trying to get back at him and get him to reverse everything."

"It had to have been hard," Mickey told him.

"What do you mean, a guy who stole Ansem's name?" Riku asked.

"Ansem the Wise was the ruler of Hollow Bastion, then known as Radiant Garden," Mickey explained. "He hand 7 apprentices, Xehanort, Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo, and Vanitas."

"The other six apprentices stole Ansem's work," Vanitas filled in the blanks. "And Xehanort stole Ansem's name, writing that report that Leon, Yuffie and the gang have. And I guess they all lost their hearts. Cause those Organization members you faced, Zexion, Lexaeus, and Vexen? They were originally Ienzo, Aeleus, and Even."

Riku looked surprised by that.

"Organization?" Riku then asked. "They called themselves Nobodies."

"Nobodies?" Vanitas asked.

"Apparently, they live between light and darkness," Mickey told him.

"They're practical clones of their original selves with their names anagrams of their original names with the letter X added," Vanitas told them the same words he told his other friends. "But from the looks of it, they got like this when they lost their hearts."

"These Nobodies," Riku said, seeing where he was going. "They also seem to be made with the Heartless, when someone loses their heart."

"One was even made when Sora lost his heart," Vanitas told him. "His name is Roxas. And for some reason..." He looked at Mickey. "...He looks just like Ven."

Mickey frowned in confusion at that, but looked up at his human friends.

"That still doesn't answer the big questions," he told them. "'Where do Nobodies come from?' 'How do they operate?' 'How many are there?' 'How powerful are they?'"

"Roxas can use a Keyblade, just like Sora," Vanitas told them of his visions. "I guess he was chosen through Sora and Ven."

"Wait," Mickey said. "Something just occurred to me. You said that Nobodies are made when people lose their hearts. Well, Ansem must have been Xehanort's Heartless. But what does that mean about his Nobody?"

The impact of that thought occurred to Vanitas and RIku at the same time. They looked at each other as Vanitas stood up.

"If Xehanort's Heartless, Ansem, was that powerful..." Vanitas started.

"Then how powerful could his Nobody be?" Riku asked.

"We won't find out just waiting here," Mickey pointed out. "We'll have to find out about this stuff while making sure our friends are safe."

"I'm down for that," Vanitas told Riku.

"Me, too," Riku admitted. "I can't go home yet, anyway." He looked down at his fists. "It's still here. It's really faint, but I can still sense him."

"Ansem?" Vanitas asked. At Riku's confused glance, Vanitas explained his situation with random visions.

"Well, yes," Riku admitted. "Even if we have to do all this, I think Ansem's darkness may still have a hold on me."

"Your darkness belongs to you," Mickey told him. "Just the same way your light does. Up 'til now, I thought darkness was something that should never exist."

"I sort of remember," Vanitas admitted. "That was the same lesson my master tried teaching us."

"Yeah," Mickey agreed, looking at Vanitas then back at Riku. "Then, I spent time with you, and changed my mind. The road you chose; I didn't know. Light and dark, back to back."

"With you," Vanitas remarked. "They meet in a way that no one's ever seen before. In a way we need more to find out if we want to keep balance."

"Wonder where that road leads," Mickey commented. "I'd like to see myself." Mickey held out his hand to him. "I'd like to walk the road with ya."

Riku chuckled and leaned down so he was face to face with the mouse as they shook hands.

"Your Majesty, I'm really flattered," Riku told him. "I don't know what to say."

"Gosh, Riku," Mickey said. "You know you don't have to call me that now. We're pals."

"Fair enough," Riku said. "Mickey."

Riku stood up and looked over at Vanitas.

"First..." Vanitas said, holding up one finger.

Then he punched Riku right in his left bicep. Riku groaned in pain as he held his arm and looked at Vanitas, curious.

"I said I would," was Vanitas' only excuse.

"Yeah, that, that's still fair," Riku admitted.

"Don't worry," Vanitas told him, placing his hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "We're cool now."

They walked towards the double doors with Mickey.

* * *

After walking into the Lanes Between, the three found themselves walking through the field Vanitas, Sora and the others had gone through before. It was still dark out, but they could see the way clearly. Riku and Mickey were in black coats to protect themselves from darkness, but Vanitas was all right either way, so he didn't need one. They eventually reached the cross in the road to find DiZ waiting for them.

"It is good to meet you, Vanitas," the man told him in his familiar voice.

"I wish I could say likewise," Vanitas admitted. "But I can't help but feel like I know you."

"I know the feeling," Mickey told him.

"What are you making me choose now?" Riku asked.

"Between the road to light...," DiZ said, gesturing to the road on first the left of him, then the right of him. "...and the road to darkness."

"Neither suits me," Riku told him, surprising Mickey. He walked past DiZ to walk down the road in front of them. "I'm taking the middle road."

"Do you mean the twilight road to nightfall?" DiZ asked, making Riku stop.

"No," Riku told him. He looked over his shoulder at the man. "It's the road to dawn."

"Whatever the case," DiZ told them. "I don't think Vanitas will be able to follow you along the road too well. Luckily, I have a solution."

He offered Vanitas a leather wristband, which he took and examined. It was large enough to cover most of one forearm, but had some kind of console on it. Vanitas slid it onto his left wrist and examined the active console.

"This device is a prototype transporter," DiZ explained. "It will allow you to travel to various worlds on your own. It's the only one I have, and will only last for a certain amount of time, so be careful with how you use it."

"All right," Vanitas said, turning it on and examining the transporter. "But to be honest, it sounds like a Vortex Manipulator from Doctor Who."

"I am aware of that," DiZ said, annoyed. "But I insist to you that it isn't a Vortex Manipulator. It _isn't._ "

"Whatever you say," Vanitas told DiZ. He then leaned down to mutter to Mickey, "It's so a Vortex Manipulator."

"Whatever the case," DiZ told him. "It hasn't been tested yet, so be careful."

"That's the thing, though," Vanitas told him as he tinkered with the console. "I don't necessarily have a life force, so I don't really need to be careful. And what better person to test something out than the person who doesn't feel pain?"

He pressed a few buttons on the console, and a light flared, signifying that it was ready for teleportation.

"Wait a second..." DiZ tried warning Vanitas.

But Vanitas cut him off by pressing the transport button. Light flared, blinding him for a few seconds. When he could see again, he was in a forest in daytime. Since he couldn't see much of his surroundings from his current position, he just checked the console on his Vortex Manipulator.

"Vanaheim?" Vanitas asked, wondering where he knew that name. Then it came to him. "That's one of the nine realms in Norse mythology. But that means..."

A large number of things suddenly came to his attention. First was the smell of smoke, then the many sounds of battle. He turned towards the sounds to see through the many trees in his way to see a obscene battles off in the horizon. He thought he saw four prominent warriors throughout it all: a blonde man with a sword, a ginger haired man with an axe, an asian man with a mace, and a black haired woman with a sword and shield. Suddenly, rainbow colors surged into the ground in the middle of the mob of enemies, and a familiar looking hammer flew out of the surge. Vanitas smiled at its meaning.

"Thor, you son of a bitch," he chuckled. "Well, I guess I better go help those guys. Not like I got anything better to do."

Vanitas reached into his sling for a good weapon as he walked through the forest, ready for whatever was next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the Chain of Memories storyline complete. I feel like I did a good job of covering the story from both points of view with Vanitas' wonky visions. And like Everglow said on the first Castle Oblivion episode of his Timeline, it is pretty essential to have the story here because it's where Sora gets real comfortable and professional with the Keyblade, which will only grow later on. You know, after he has to get all his powers back (man, that happens to this kid a lot). But for now, we're gonna be following Vanitas for a little while. First, he's gonna help out Thor during The Dark World, then he's gonna move on to meet and become friends with the Sea Salt Trio, with a surprise guest along in that story. But I'm getting ahead of myself. And by the way, for those of you surprised by the influx of chapters lately, I just decided to actually do something with all the free time I've had lately. I may or may not do this again, I don't know yet. Man, though. I finished this in just about two months. That is the shortest amount of time I've finished an entirely Kingdom Hearts multi-chapter story so far. I'm a little impressed with myself. And don't worry, Vanitas will still be trying to figure out everything with the Nobodies. But it'll be so easy to explain Axel'll probably be able to cover all of his questions in the first chapter of the one where he becomes friends with the three of them. Anyway, I've gotta take a break. I've been working on this stuff since yesterday morning, and I need a break


End file.
